Hidden Behind Those Eyes
by tear dropxo
Summary: Their worlds were veiled by masks, sprouted by lies. And yet she loved; he cared. But when smiles turn to tears and love to ash, when hidden secrets boil over the surfaces and topple over their lives, how long can they keep it up? May contain spoilers, and doesn't strictly follow canon either. So be warned.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: All onwership goes to G** **osho Aoyama. I'm just a regular wannbe borrowing his characters to mess the up a bit :)**

 _Updated 25/07/2017_

I only deleted the first P.O.V. It was the stalker part if you remember. if you don't then don't worry. It served no purpose. Just enjoy the story.

* * *

The day ended as soon as it started. Akemi only blinked and hours went passed. She remembered hues of blue and wide pink when the sun rose in greetings, her rumbling stomach in the morning, the loud mumblings of by-passers, snippets of talks here and there at the long ends of corridors, faded pictures of professors gesturing at the front of her classes, and friends nagging her to concentrate.

Mindless she packed her things away, practiced fingers swiftly gathering her materials, stashing them away into the depths of her bag, smile growing wider by the second.

A deed that did not went unnoticed by her friends.

" _Tell meee_ _!"_ Kazuko stressed with a frustration that equals from having to say the same line over and over again. With one eyes roll, she thrusted herself forward, hovering above Akemi's table, slamming her palms down, locking her fiery gaze with hers. "You've been awfully happy all day- _tell me why_!"

"I'd like to know too," Emi sat on a table, grinning widely with her dark hair swinging about, framing her face as she rocked back and fro, gazing upwards towards the still smiling Akemi, who stole fugitive glances at them through her dark lashes in her hidden amusement that they all could see. "Did something happened this morning? You've never smiled this much." Emi pressed further when Akemi only smiled wider, slinging her bag around her shoulder, hopping down the steps of her class with unconcealed delight.

"I'm not telling!" Akemi singsonged and stretched her tongue out at them, partly because there was nothing to tell apart from that her sister is coming to visit but that wouldn't satiate their hunger. No, Akemi knew they wanted something juicer if anything from their excited smiles to go by. At times like this she regretted dating Ueda. He wasn't anybody deserving to be messed with, especially not by them.

"It's probably because of Ueda-san," Natsumi voiced in with the usual hand propping under her chin with a definite smirk, popped a pink bubblegum and pinched it off with slender fingers before squashing it back into her mouth, motioning down with her right eyebrow, grinning, at the young male peeking through the doorway, watching him fastened his eyes onto the four girls at the back of the lecture hall. "I heard he was looking for you _all day_ ," she singsonged with a laugh stuck at the back of her throat that she had trouble holding back. Akemi smiled fondly, _what a fool._

" _Oooh,_ what do I hear?" Kazuko joined in with a smile way to wide and eyes twice as bright, raising suggestive eyebrows at her. "Getting active, are we?"

" _What's with this?_ " Akemi stepped back, brows raised, eyes wide, cheeks raising on colour, looking more purple than the standard red, hidden behind the back of her hand she covered her mouth with, a lose thought forming somewhere at the back of her mind, vaguely wondering when the situation turned out to be in such a state. "You guys date twice as more men than I do!"

"Controversial!" Natsumi slammed her hands on the table, chair falling back down behind her, "We're mere peasant struggling for food and _there-_!" she pointed at Ueda, who rose an amused brow at them now from where he stood,"See what you have- _a season worth of thousand dishes_!"

"Take her away, Ueda-san, that ungrateful cow is _too mighty_ stand in our shadow," Kazuko held a tissue in her hand, drying the non existent tears off her face and turning away as though she couldn't bear to look at them. "Let's go, Natsumi, our presence is not welcomed here."

"We expect a full report later!" they called back in unison as they dashed towards the door, muffled goodbyes carried harshly by the winds until- at last- _silence_. Sighing loudly, Emi raised her hand in muted goodbye, mumbling a quick _"Have a great time,"_ loosely over her shoulder, a tiresome smile sent at Akemi's direction that respondent could all too mirror. Bless her. It was hard work to keep up with those two whirlwinds.

The door slammed shut, echoing through the enclosed halls until it stilled, leaving the couple alone in the vast room. Akemi bit her lips, fighting the gnawing feeling in her chest down, breathing in slowly from her mouth, halting fidgeting fingers and smiled, widely at him.

 _Put the act up,_ she reminded herself, _don't let it go._

"They are rather enthusiastic, wouldn't you think?" Ueda spoke up after rounds of silence, patiently waiting for Akemi to step down to be on his level on the ground floor, then slowly stretched out a callous hand from many baseball practices that she willingly took into her own hand and intertwined readily with her fingers. A mechanism she was all too use to. A gesture that has already lost completely its meaning to her.

"Don't mind them," she mumbled, leaning towards the seeping warmth emanating from him and propped her chin on his broad shoulder, catching drifts of mowed grass and rising sweat beneath the usual smell of ash wood. "Did you came straight from practice?" she rose her head and frowned at him, "You won't you get in trouble by being here?"

"I had to see you," he breathed out, gaze transfixed at her face, staring deep into her eyes, the small smile at the tips of his lips widening the longer he stared.

"Really?" she gave him a teasing smile, softly pushing with her palm away, eyes never leaving his face completely as she led him out the room."You can't have missed me already."

"What if I did?" he raised his head, grinning widely. "It's only natural, after all I got you as my girlfriend."

"A fact you're too proud of."

"Of course I am!" he whipped his head at her, sounding almost outraged at the mere notion for it to be taken into question. "After all I…!"

"You- what?" she said between giggles, sauntering through the hall, partly ignoring the stares and whispers she heard rousing around them. She was too use to it. That people would stop and stare, thinking what he thought of her. Even her friends would sometimes don her a gaze full of jealousy every time it was as though she wasn't particularly paying attention to anything. Why though? She wondered as she stole a glanced at the widely smiling Ueda who seemed to practically submerged with his own happiness- so much Akemi wouldn't put it pass him for him to fade out his surroundings for a long time, maybe that's why he sometimes appears to be epitome of ignorance at times.

"I….I..um…just.." he brushed a hand through his hair, struggling to get the words through his lips, frowning he whirled his head at her, gazing at her with such hope, stressing the next words with such meaning, Akemi tried her best to understand the hidden message he failed to get across with a simple; _"You know?"_

"I do not," she shook her head, smile widening despite her confusion, raising both brows at him, "Try again," she mouthed and found that he was staring at them, absorbing each minuscule shift from her lips. Alarmed she ducked her head, covering her face under her bangs, feeling heat crawl up from her neck onto her cheeks and she snorted in embarrassment, eyes trailed up his strong jaw, wildly kept hair, wide blue eyes on slightly tanned skin, breathing in deeply she gave him a pointed look. _Don't let the act go_. "What are you tying to say?"

Ueda stiffened, a blush rising up from his cheeks as he gazed away with a hand massaging his neck. "Do I...really need to say it?"

Akemi squeezed his fingers. "No, but it'd be nice for me to know," she mumbled and saw him squirm further, "You don't have to, you know? You can't keep it until you feel comfortable telling, Yuji-kun."

"It's always because you're like this, Akemi," he sighed, folding his arms above his head as they started to come closer to their separation point, he halted and faced away, looking at everything but her, at least until he sneaked a glance at her through his bangs, cheeks flushing slightly red and Akemi tilted her head in confusion as she turned to face him too, slightly raising her head to stare him deep into the eyes.

"You're always so kind and understanding," he started and wiped his hands on his shirt, "...it practically left me no choice but, you know...to fall in love with you," he breathed out at last, slowly sneaking a peak at her again through his hair and Akemi smiled brightly, despite the thumping ache in her chest.

"Yeah," she breathed out too, smiling too easily, covering the raising hurt in her chest, squeezing his fingers tightly before slowly untangling them, cheeks tinted slightly red, giving him deep look of misplaced affection, "I know exactly what you mean." He smiled but before he could utter an other word Akemi turned to leave. Anymore and her act would fall to pieces. She canted her back at him, smiling in loose goodbye, faintly hearing him mutter a brief, _"Sure,"_ and supposed careless _"Why not?"_ that constricted Akemi's chest tightly, she could practically hear the faltering smile on his lips, the hurt humming from his voice after taking the courage to confess out of the blue like that. But she could not reciprocate it. This was far greater than the dismissive _'like'_.

It was something she didn't want to encounter.

"Huh?" Shūichi turned to face her, brows slightly furrowed, olive green eyes peeking through the slender smoke curling over the rim, the cup half full of brew, steaming reaching up to his eyes, trying best to cloud his sight from deep blue eyes framed by blond strands, falling down the side of her face, brows creasing further with worry, staring at the bandages across his arms and at a small section of bands peering under the beanie he wore on his head. The smell of roasted coffee beans was thick in the small booth and by the looks of it dismayed by Jodie, whose nose constantly twitched under the stench, or perhaps it was due annoyance she held for him. Shūichi titled his head, slowly swirling his coffee in his hand, a questioning look guiding the puzzled nature of his expression, slowly amending into a flat out expression that demanded answers, "What do you mean?"

Blue eyes rolled in perfect motion, "Your injuries," she stressed with a sharp undertone, pointing a red manicured finger at him she previously tapped repetitively on the table, "It wasn't necessary to go that far- reckless even. What were you thinking?"

Shūichi shrugged and sipped his coffee, swirled the brew in his mouth, relished in its bitterness, pondering, gazing upwards, absent-mindedly noticing the faded brown painted on the ceiling, the many cracks and tiny holes formed over the years, the bright burning of light bulbs, casting shadows over half his face before he looked back at her, gaze locking firmly, olive eyes boring deep into blue eyes before Shūichi slumped back into his seat and raised an eyebrow, "It did the job, didn't it? So why mourn about it?"

"To instigate an accident? How can you be so cool about this!" A pair of hands slammed on the table, her nose now hovering centimetres away from his, glaring heatedly at him with such anger Shūichi had almost trouble placing it to a definite cause, yet he was sure she was more troubled by the situation than his recent action. That much was certain. "Have you forgotten whom your up against? Surely there were other ways!"

"There might have been." he answered easily, cup clinking on the wooden table as he leaned forward, arms crossed over the table, "But this was by far the safest."

"In what terms?" her gaze hardened, fingers clenching uneasily and soon enough- _tap, tap, tap_ \- Shūichi rolled his eyes and reached out, stilling the frantic movements with his bandaged hand.

"You worry too much."

The flush on her cheeks deepened but she replied not, defiantly holding her gaze away from him, staring at the empty seat next to her, pushing down the gnawing feelings raising from her chest, the raising emotion that compel her to ask, _who is she? what's she like?_ Anything that will tell her where this person stands at Shūichi's thoughts. To reassure herself that it is nothing harmful to her relationship- a hurdle they have to overcome, _will overcome_. Jodie flipped her hand over from under Shūichi's grip, holding his hand tight, squeezing his fingers albeit gently.

 _Hopefully they'll be fine._

"In what terms?" she asked once more, tone quivering in her welling emotions she tried to suppressed, still not looking at him, "How can this twisted situation provide a safer route diving into this? There must be other ways."

"Well, for one I'll have more immediate links if I use her. I told you, didn't I? Although she is at the bottom in the organisation's hierarchy her sister is a top ranking member. If things go smoothly I'll get in contact with her."

Wide blue eyes turned to fasten on him, speaking with so much emotion Shūichi saw through them before her whipping blond hair stilled, sitting calmly on the width of her shoulder after slicing through the air in her sudden turn, "But what if-?" she looked down, biting her lower lip, seemingly mulling her thoughts over her head before voicing them out loud.

"It shouldn't be a problem, _if you think that._ _It's only a mission I'm completing."_

"But what if..." her eyes flickered at him again, narrowed slightly at the corners, gazing at him firmly before resting back at the table, muttering slowly under her breath, "What if you end up falling in love?"

Shūichi shot her pointed look, likelihood of that happening were extremely nominal, nearly impossible. _I don't involve emotion in my jobs._ "Situations such as those are for fairy tales. Don't forget it's reality we're facing. Besides..."

 _ _I'll never do.__

Jodie looked up, raising her eye brow, encouraging him to go on. But he picked his coffee up again, sipping from it easily, "Nothing. Forget about it."

 _ _Not_ _with anyone.__

 _"_ _If you say so," she said, sounding peaceful despite the suspicious glances she threw at hi_ _m_ _but he remained silent, staring out the window into the welling darkness ahead of him._

 _It should be fine._

* * *

 **I'm quite conflicted about this story and whether I should spend the time to finish this. I've a detailed plan ready but it's just that I'm not feeling exactly motivated into carrying it out. I don't know, maybe I'll change my mind tomorrow or some time in next week. I guess I'm just letting you know that this story will be probably even more rarely updated than the 'Difference Between Us'.**

 **Anyhow I hope you enjoyed it!**


	2. Chapter 2

**There's a bonus at the end—my first _Omake_ specifically for you. **

* * *

The tress whistled, leaves swaying, turning, flipping against the pavement, rolling down the street, crushed under the soles of shoes as they tumbled. Akemi sighed, blew strands away from her eyes as she waited, back hunched, elbows hard on her thighs, sitting on a lone bench, skewed at the far back, shoved in between bushes, hidden behind large oak trees, almost invisible to the naked eye- to the people surrounding her, passing her by with eye firmly planted in a far away direction. Straight ahead with no side glances. No raised eyebrows. No disapproving eyes were thrown in her direction.

Thank goodness, Akemi thought, tugging the ends of her skirt down, shifting a little, adjusting herself on the cold park bench, feeling the little dents on its surface marring her rear. With a sigh she pulled her sleeve up, gazing at the watch bound on her wrist.

Late. So late.

Sighing, she placed her head in her hands, resuming in her game of blowing strands pointlessly into the air. Clearly coming early was a mistake. She always pegged Ueda to be the type of men to arrive thirty minutes early for a date, just like he was for class.

"A mistake," she muttered to herself and sighed once more, silently thinking to herself why he couldn't be more like the man she met last week for coffee. The one she sent flying across the asphalt.

"I'm sorry, so sorry," she drove a hand over her eyes, still seeing flashes of an upturned body, hitting against windscreen, hitting mutely down the road, motionlessly, so dead, _so dead._

"Argh!" she shook her head, hair flaring around loosely, ready hands smacking her lightly on the cheeks as though to call her awake. "Quit thinking about it! It's history! Long since over! He has forgiven you already so let it go!"

Easier said than done. Her cheeks burned when her mind took her back to that evening- to that little meeting in that café, remembering with fresh senses the bell chiming over her head, warm aroma of crushed beans flaring through her nostrils, lingering in the air, pulling like a hook on a line strings of long stashed memories forth and she remembered heavy snow in the dark, stacks of papers unattended, a small candle light on the table, two lumps cuddled on the long couch, covered in thick blankets, her sister sleeping soundlessly whilst she stared at the bright glow of scorching firewood, listening to the soft murmur of grown up voices in the kitchen...

But Moroboshi Dai was already there. Already seated with a cup of coffee steaming holes into the folded newspaper, hand propping up his head, silently chewing at then ends of an unlit cigarette placed between his lips, half lidded eyes running across the many words, appearing completely bored stiff, dropping around him an aura that spoke of the tale of a man with too much time on his hands, releasing over all a mood she wasn't completely sure she could lift. With haltering breath and trembles in her legs she walked over, ready smile in place, apologies planted on her tongue and ready to take off when he glanced up.

Chartreuse eyes peered at her and all language was lost.

Akemi moaned, digging her face deeper into her hands, cheeks flushed bright red to the tips of her ears, hotness seeping into her palms when she remembered what kind of stumbling mess she had been- apologising over and over for something he easily dismissed with the shake of his head and an exasperate look at her; _"Really?"_

"Ahh," she moaned, flushing even brighter, finger driving through her hair, grasping tightly, willing the memory to disappear- _to just die._

"What a bully my mind is." she muttered, not expecting to laughter ringing in her ear. With a start she shot up, head whirling around to see blue eyes and brown hair ruffled by the afternoon wind. She breathed out relived, hand placed on her chest, "Oh, it's just you, Yuji-kun."

"Expected somebody else?" he grinned and Akemi's heart suddenly thumped loudly in her chest, guilt? Probably. But she shoved it right out, smiled instead, knowing he didn't expect any answer from her. It was a loose phrase that presumably came straight from his head without a second thought, something easily brushed off with a slight shrug and a teasing smirk.

"Maybe," she gave him side glance before she turned to him, hands on her hips and bending low, glaring as frightfully as she could which seemingly wasn't much since he started laughing to himself, hands held up in an apology, grinning sheepishly.

"Sorry, sorry. I got carried away a little. You see…."

Akemi rose a brow but faintly listened to his irrational explanation for coming late; an old granny in need in crossing the road, too heavy bags for that grandpa to carry, helping retrieve a ball stuck at a tree for a bunch of kids playing on the street- nothing but the usual. She waved him off before he could go on about his tale of protecting a girl from being bullied by three mean boys. "Enough. I get. You're forgiven." _yet again,_ she thought with a roll of her eyes that she tried to suppress.

 _Keep the act up._

"So," she smiled, reaching for his hand, "Where did you plan on taking me this time?"

"Secret," he winked and pulled her along, dragging her out of the park into the buzzy street. She kept close to him, occasionally pressing up against his arm when the streets ended up too crowded, people more than inclined to push through, shoving one or the other out of their way now and then. Akemi suppressed a laugh, sealed her lips shut tightly with great effort. If his cheeks reddened any further she might burst out laughing any second.

 _Boys,_ she thought, finding herself not able to stop the smile from spreading, _what youthful innocence._

But he had none.

Akemi halted in her steps, lightning struck as fast as those images flashed in her mind; struck as hard as voltage in a current with the realisation that Moroboshi had absolutely none. His sharp green eyes, wry grin, his entire posture- it wasn't light. No momentary carefree attitude was in sight. She didn't think she'd ever see him relax despite only just having met him. He never let his guard down. Even though he was with her.

A girl.

A women few years short of being twenty-three.

Akemi has met a lot of men so far, mostly because of her part time work down the road but she knew that trait. Has seen it on many. The guise of donning one self a 'serious' cover- a superficial appearance of a man with too much responsibility. Add a suite and a tie to that and a flock of women will soon rush on, dying to be on that man's side in the false pretence of receiving waves of money crushing on to the shore next to that nice looking fish she caught on. Well, that until they realise it's a just man with empty pockets looking for a fun ride they are then not too willing to give. But he-

He seemed to completely embody it. With no dress shirt. No tie. No polished shoes. With no fun streaks. At all. He was a completely vacuum of hollowness.

For a moment she wondered whether she could fill it in…

"Akemi? You alright?" a hand touched her face then, worried eyes peeked at her, slightly questioning, "You froze all of a sudden."

"I'm fine. Don't worry!" she laughed it off, walking steps forward and pulled him along, evading the suspicious glances he threw her with before bumping his shoulder with hers, beaming at him. "I'm fine so lead the way!"

After a persistent lingering glance, he took the lead from her, tugging her down the road again and Akemi banned those thoughts from her head. Those stupid, stupid thoughts. She was thinking too much. Moroboshi Dai was just an introverted guy. She has only seen him a couple of times in different occasions. It's not like she knew him. She might find out soon enough that beneath that hard exterior might be freshly baked pudding- all soft and mushy, perhaps even goofy- though now that she is thinking of it that idea didn't sit well with her. Rather have him not shed his guard. Maybe he was born to be of ice. Regardless, he-

"W-what?" Akemi's head whirled, a mishmash of bright sunlight, fluffy clouds, flashes of buildings here and there, a blur of people; of roads; of street lamps until her vision righten again and Ueda suddenly stood before her, a pair of hands holding her shoulders firmly, gazing at her straight in the eye and she could see a mix of confusion brewing in there, welling suspicion and a tinge of worry.

"What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?"

Akemi blinked, coming to realise that Ueda must have shaken her. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You had this terrible look on your face," he copied it, crumbling his features into narrowed eyes, scrunched nose, pulled in together cheeks that somehow reminded her of a rat and a sheer image of absolute dislike.

"I did not!" Akemi protested despite laughs, swatting his chest with her open, feeling a blush creping up her cheeks. "I would never!"

"Yeah, sure. I never just saw you doing that-" and with that he made that face again, seemingly enjoying to get on her nerves, she huffed, glared at him as best as she could and stalked off.

"Now, now don't get mad. I was joking," he pulled her back, wrapping his arms around from behind, she huffed again, louder, sending glares through her fringe, uncomfortably canting her head back to look at him. But he ignored her motions and let her go instead, pointing up a building she only now noticed.

A cinema, she thought glancing back at Ueda and his rigid posture, stiff shoulders and hands stuffed deeply in his pockets. Akemi swallowed and braced herself, bolting away now would be rude and only hurt his feelings more. She had done that enough already as her mind took her back to that day after her lesson, in that hallway where he last confessed. She knew he was still waiting for a reply- for an 'I love you too' that she wasn't comfortable saying out loud to anyone other than her own sister. Much less to someone she didn't harbour any feelings for- at least not any he'd want her to have at this stage.

She shouldn't have accepted his first confession, agreed to go out with him when she knew wholeheartedly it would come down to this. It started as a game and will up in a conflict. Akemi bit her lips, nails digging deep into her palm and took a deep breath. She has walked through this process many times, and she could do it now again.

It was their fault anyway. Giving her the power to crush them after they sum up their courage to confess their feelings right in front of her, isn't it obvious that its a natural mechanism for Akemi to accept and keep their hearts from breaking?

And even if Akemi rejects, they'd argue her reasons are built on fragile grounds based on nothing other than her own insight and perception that they wouldn't work out, which they counter with persistent telling of her inability to foretell the future, that they should give it a go- a chance- topped off by their own conviction of being able to make her fall in love with them. Akemi smiled. To think they thought that she could love in that capacity and depth they can.

 _Sadist._

It breathed upon her ear lightly. Silently creeping up like on that single night. Akemi sighed, bringing her hands up to her temple, rubbing an upcoming headache away. She didn't want to deal with that. Not with any of that. Not yet. Instead she smiled and grabbed his hands. Knowing wholeheartedly she is only digging her way deeper into this mess, ripping her wounds deeper and hurting him along with her.

 _Sadist._

"Leave me alone," she mumbled under her breath, keeping her thoughts at bay and walked into the large hall, sitting down, only half listening to Ueda's mumbles about the romance-comedy movie he had picked out for her that Akemi didn't exactly care for. Whatever was fine, since it wasn't her biggest concern. She sneaked a glance at him.

Akemi was sure he was up to something. Akemi was seventy-one percent sure he'd test her. Kazuko and Natsumi spoke enough about it. About how they plan to test their boyfriends. Whether they'll notice it if she cut an inch of her hair, whether they'd make a move if Natsumi texts up Kazuko's boyfriend in a flirty manner or vice versa- things that make Akemi sigh deeply into her hand, if not roll her eyes at the sheer childishness. She had always thought that their interest in finding out were larger than the actual results.

Slowly Akemi leaned her head to the side, shifting her body away from him, keeping her eyes on the screen and for the first thirty minutes nothing happened. So far so good. It took another set of twenty minutes when she realised she was watching a loves story. In fact, the plot was mainly based on a love triangle; dear, sweet love; bitter betrayal; heart wrenching realisations. Akemi tore her eyes of the screen, turning to look at Ueda with a raised brow and finding him stare at her with unreadable expression but Akemi thought it looked rather cold and restrained. Her brows rose higher before her face contorted and with a slight shook of her head, she mentally asked him- _what are you i_ _mplying_ _?_

But he only gazed back to the screen and as though he had practiced that moment, Akemi bore witness to the cheating occurring between the girl- the main character had eyes for- and the other man she has met...at a café? Her mouth fell open, eyes widening as she stared at the flashback from the main character, remembering that he saw them from the window once laughing to themselves, fingers staying at each other for too long, gaze lingering too long when he was passing by— or was waiting for his girlfriend's shift to end— Akemi couldn't quite remember but she knew what Ueda was getting at. She glanced at him again. But his eyes wouldn't move from the screen.

 _Just what are you accusing me of?_

No, no, she shook her head. She was quite sure Ueda couldn't have known about the coffee trip to the coffee shop she had last week. He shouldn't be aware of it. He had practice on that day along with his friends. None of his immediate circle of friends could have tattled. At least those who knew her. But then why was he making it a point to show her this movie- this scene.

" _Expected somebody else?"_

Realisation hit her stomach and she felt sick. But didn't to show it. If he was testing her reaction then she needed to look as normal as possible, watching from a third point of view rather than someone who could identify with the scene. After awhile she could feel his gaze on her again but this time she did not turn, eyes eagerly fixed on the screen, evading out all accusation that had been made and- after a couple of minutes more- she could feel his arm sneaking up her shoulder, pulling her close to his side and she heard him whisper words that shattered her heart, made the guilt sit deeper in her bones.

"I'm glad."

Akemi fought the urge to bite her lip and the urge to tear her hair out. Noticing a bit too late that it was the perfect opportunity to end this. With a slight shook of her head and determination she scraped together like dust on a polished floor she moved out from his embraced, hiding her eyes beneath the lose strands hanging off her forehead. "Don't. You shouldn't be."

Before he could utter a response nor grab her arm, Akemi moved away, walking down the aisle towards the bathroom as quick as she could, ignoring the swift footsteps following her and the calls of her name, locking herself into the cubicle and muffled a moan into her hand that she planned to be a scream.

And soon enough-

 _Knock. Knock. Knock._

"...Akemi?"

She held her breath. Halting still. Listening, listening, listening- but not further sound was made. That was until her phone vibrated and Akemi felt like crying, whined under her breath, walked left and right in the small space the cubicle provided and risked a glance at her phone. It was only a message. She breathed out relived, back hitting the door and slid down, sort of laughing at herself for thinking it was Ueda calling her from the other side. She still could hear shuffles and the anxious ruffles of clothes from behind the door. With furrowed brows she pulled her sleeve up again, reading off the time and sunk her head into her knees. One hour to go. What was she going to do?

"Nothing, I guess," she muttered to herself, gazing back to her phone, opening up the message and smiled despite herself, rereading each word out loud in a whisper:

 _ **Haven't heard from you in a week. Still holding up?**_

"As good as anyone could in this situation, I guess." She typed, speaking each word out loud and after a moment she hesitated a little, thinking before she added. _I made a mistake and am about to fix it,_ _b_ _ut I lack the courage._

 _ **. . . .?**_

Hand covering her mouth, Akemi laughed, momentarily forgetting that she's in a toilet and smiled wide, already imagining him raising a single brow at her, green eyes glinting questioningly…

Closing her eyes for a moment, Akemi typed. _Advice_ _s_ _would be_ _good._ _You know, things that gets me up and running._

 _ **If it's anything important to you than encouraging words would have a minimal impact.**_

How helpful, she sighed, knowing he it the mark. She drew her legs in closer, hitting the right buttons to form a sentence. _What will help me then? isn't there anything I could do to raise my spirit?_

 _ **Well, that depends on determination, doesn't it? Can't help you much with that. But I can help sort out the aftermath.**_

 _You mean to say to help cheer me up?_

 _ **. . . .?**_

Her face bloomed into a wide smile. _Just so you know, I will hold you to that._

Stashing her phone away and summing up leftovers of courage she fished out like remnants on an emptied bin, she got up, quietly pulling the door open and peeked outside, surprised she opened the door wider, stepping outside fully, whirling her head left and right but Ueda was gone. Relieved and a bit disappointed Akemi walked off, exiting the cinema with quick wide steps and head home, hoping he wouldn't pop up from nowhere like he did in the park, with another uncertain glance behind, Akemi held her hand up and hailed for a taxi. Not expecting a hand to shot out of nowhere and yank here back. It took a moment for here to regain here footing, but when she did her heart leaped into her chest. "Yuji-kun!"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean the way it came out," Ueda Yuji started off in a rush, cheeks flushed red as he fumbled over his words and Akemi's heart sank down. Deep, deep, down.

"I didn't mean to offend you. It's just that Daichi said-" his blushed deepened into a dark shade of purple and he shook his head widely before resting his eyes on her again and she could feel the welling desperation in him when he clutched her arm tighter. Pulled her in closer. "I'm sorry, okay? It was just about something stupid he told me. Some rubbish he came up with," he stressed and tugged her towards him again but Akemi pressed against it. Took a step back, leaned back and felt her heart beat faster. Quicker. So much quicker and yet she felt breathless.

"I _know_ I shouldn't have believed him. That, I shouldn't have listen to him. But I couldn't help it!" he continued, driving his fingers through his hairs as looked at her so pleadingly, so helpless. Felt the rising sweat in his palms, the panic in his eyes, and Akemi could feel the tears rising in her own. But she held them back, closed her eyes for seconds and steeled her voice as best as she could.

 _I made a mistake and am about to fix it._

"Look, Yuji-kun-" Something flashed into Ueda's eyes and she thought she could discern the fear clouding them and his breaths coming out quicker.

"Akemi, I said I was sorry. I didn't mean to imply that you were-" he shook his head as though to throw the thought away from his head and stared hard into her eyes with such pained and conflicted expression Akemi couldn't bear to speak up- to raise her voice and break it to him, so she looked to the ground instead and in shame closed her eyes.

 _. . .but I lack the courage._

She felt his gaze on her but she refused to look up, to look at him. But it seemed he misread her actions of submission to that of defiance, for he suddenly cried out that he has been a fool. Akemi looked up at his sudden change in tone and she regretted the action almost immediately as she saw the flick of pain flash on his face. "They told me it would turn out like this. They all told me. But I ignored them and didn't believe in them."

 _No_. Akemi shut her eyes tight, already knowing where this was heading. First they plead her, belittle her, pick on her and then accuse her.

"Even though I said I _loved you_ —to you this was nothing more than a game, was it? Just something for you to _play_ with."

Akemi didn't raise her head, kept her face hidden behind her bangs. Knowing that Ueda was rumbling off whatever was laying in his mind, whatever little doubt he had and wished for her to refute them at the end. To blow them off and reassure him that it was not like that. That, she loved him too. And that she was sorry not to have pronounced it clearer. But. . .

She shut her eyes and her knuckles turned white under the pressure of her fits.

 _I don't want_ _to do_ _that._

"If you never wanted any of this you could have said so. You could have told me you didn't feel the same- I would understand that." Ueda mumbled quietly at last and casted his eyes down, at least until he raised his face right up, suddenly he realising the weight each word he chucked on her, carried.

"I mean you do, don't you?" he started again, licking his lips nervously, "You wanted this. . .right?" he halted and let the question hang in the air between them, drifting towards her and demanding answers she wasn't ready to give. Akemi knew her face looked stricken, knew the hammering in her chest and the increasing sweat on her palms were urging her to pick the save route. To just agree. To just reassure him.

 _But where will this lead me?_

". . .Akemi?" She flinched but still did not raise her head but she could hear the fear welling in his voice and the rising dread. ". . .You do, don't you?"

"Yuji-kun," Akemi started off, heard her voice wane with each letter and he noticed. Must have thought it was positive sign for him and he stretched a hand out to her cheek in rising hope. And she only needed to lean into his touch. To smile. That would have been enough for him. A proof that needn't be said with words. Just to lean. . .

 _Lean on it! Lean on it! Put the act up and just lean on his hand!_

She shut her eyes tight and flinched under his touch. Ueda drew back quickly as though burned, and Akemi was already shaking her head, sparking hopeful glints in his eyes again. And she knew she still had a chance. . .

"Yuji-kun you were right. It's not like that." Akemi began, venturing for the safe route. Uprising and rebellion were never her forte to begin with. Just let him love her until he'd get sick of her like they all do at the end. She never went against the rules she set for herself anyway. _Pointless, pointless,_ she thought and swallowed the rising tears down. "You were right, I. . ."

 _If it's anything important to you then then encouraging words would have a minimal impact._

It hit her hard. Akemi gasped and stumbled back, clutched onto a pole and steadied herself, feeling incredibly sick and dizzy from her stupidity. Akemi shut her eyes tight and held a hand around her mouth, breathing in deeply as she wondered what she had gotten herself into. Why she started now to questions the acts she decided to commit. Wasn't it too late for it already? Wasn't this what she decided on doing? Decided to play with them just like they played with her? Use them just like they had fun using her?

Akemi glanced at Ueda rushing to her side and started to smile, now quiet sure that secretly they were all the same. It was too late to question the morality of her acts. This was the path she sat out for herself and she will walk through it, so she grabbed his hand and interlinked their fingers, smiling ever so sweetly at him.

"You were right," she repeated, letting the words roll softly over her tongue and looked at his hopeful expression. "I have wanted this."

The smile beaming on his face rivalled the sun and scorched her heart completely, and Akemi could taste the rising ash in her mouth when Ueda leaned closer and bumped his nose on hers, whispering, "Akemi? Do you mean that?"

Her heart ached.

Akemi glanced at his twinkling blue eyes, full of hope and relief, and swallowed.

 _This is the path I set for myself._

With another easily placed wide smile, Akemi nodded.

 _It couldn't have been . . ._

Ueda leaned down once more and she closed her eyes.

 _. . .avoided._

 _Well, that depends on determination, doesn't it?_

With a jerk, Akemi leaned back and hit her head against the pole, moaning at the jolting pain as she clutched her head before her fingers wandered to cover her mouth again, nausea overwhelming her all of a sudden, and she sighed, rubbed her hands over her eyes, pushed the bangs away from her face when she stood up with wobbly feet.

 _I'm digging my grave,_ she thought when she came to a conclusion and without further thinking she pushed Ueda's hands away that were helping her up.

"No, let me finish." Akemi looked down, bracing herself before she gazed up, "All you said before. It was true. You were right."

"What?" His face turned confused and Akemi took a deep breath.

"I have wanted this. But not any more." Akemi's voice shook and she cursed the courage that sizzled in her heart and weakened her knees. "I'm sorry, Yuji-kun, but I can't return your feelings anymore."

"What?"

"I said-"

" _What?!"_ Ueda's eyes flashed and Akemi flinched, recognising the burning anger, the confusion and the shock. That's so much for understanding, but Akemi knew she shouldn't have expected him to accept it and smile it off. Not when she led him on like this.

"What do you mean you don't? _After all this time!_ Is it because of that man you've been meeting last week? Were his words sugary enough to sweeten your heart just like that? Even when you acted as though you liked me?"

"That man was an acquaintance of mine and not a potential lover. I don't get feelings for every man I meet." Akemi replied sharply and more firmer than she should have, and she realised her mistake the same time Ueda picked up on it.

"Funny how defensive you get just by that remark." Ueda muttered darkly, "You never used to get upset about anything I said or was said about me."

"Of course I did."

"Oh, really now?"

Akemi frowned at his sarcasm. "Yeah, I should know best."

"Yeah, of course with your reputation." he spat and looked pointedly away from her.

"I'm sorry?" Akemi's eyes widened. Did she hear right?

"I've been told all about it. I didn't want to believe it. How could I? A girl like you- a girl like Akemi," he laughed quietly to himself, at the absurdity of it all that couldn't be comprehended in his head right now.

"But what they said was true. They were absolutely right." He repeated and Akemi could see the tears brimming in his eyes and the rising burn in her own and he laughed in bitterness when Akemi slowly backed away as his eyes fastened on her, cold and cruel.

"You _are_ freaking sadist _._ "

* * *

"Now, now, Akemi would you tell me, already?" Emi asked as she wiped the counter. Akemi avoided her gaze, looked instead at the wash cloth that was moving across her eyes sight.

"Don't get too close with that thing." Akemi twitched her nose and moved her head a little back, but kept her head on the table still, sighs falling from her lips.

"Then raise your head." Emi grunted and push the cloth further down the table until Akemi pushed herself off and glared at her with offending eyes that even didn't look half as threatening as they should have been. And after a few seconds of silent glaring, Akemi gave in and propped her chin on her hand, sighing timelessly into the air and watched Emi clean the other tables. Stared at the other waitresses picking up the last plates and hurrying them into the kitchen. It was around closing time when Akemi dropped in the tiny restaurant and ordered an orange juice that she knew the bar didn't officially have, but Emi always carried around an extra pack of that sour thing inside the fridge. Akemi's nose twitched in distaste at the lingering taste at the back of her throat. The chair next to her creaked suddenly and Emi flopped down on the seat next to her. "Go on tell me. What happened?"

Akemi turned her face to her in surprise until she raised a brow, a teasing tone rolling through her words as she gave Emi a little shove, "You think I only come here just to wind out my problems?"

"You wanted orange juice. You never drink that stuff." Emi's eyes narrowed at her when Akemi's nose twitched, and she leaned in further. "And you came all the way up to the bar to order that, even though you hate this place."

Akemi rose an amused brow. "And why would I hate my own work place?"

Emi glanced outside the windows where a couple of groups hung around, chatting too loud and too obnoxious for the evening glow. Akemi's eyes darkened before she could control it.

"Told you so." Emi smirked and leaned even closer if that's possible. "Spill. What happened?"

Akemi was about to reply when the voice of Emi's father hollered from the kitchen and came onto the floor seconds later, setting his eyes on them and a smile replaced his previous frown, and before Akemi could throw a smile back he moved towards her. "Akemi, why my dear, I haven't heard you order anything. A big girl like you needs much to eat. I hope my daughter's ideas about dieting aren't affecting you?"

"I'm fine. I'm fine." Akemi laughed it off. "I just wanted a quick drink."

"Dad, she had orange juice today." Emi threw in slyly, glancing at Akemi smugly when her father's eyes comically widened.

"Orange juice!" he bellowed, reaching a comforting hand out to touch her shoulder. "Akemi, dear, you aren't ill, are you?"

Akemi was amidst shaking her head and to deny when a waitress suddenly turned around with a mop in her hand and said, "Of course, she is not ill," she gave a Akemi a wink. "It's probably because spring is calling her."

" _Oooh~"_

Akemi's cheeks blushed bright as she ducked her head and she immediately remembered why she hated this place in particular. Intimacy and familiarity are lost within seconds. Being friends with Emi meant being friends with her family which in turn meant friendship across staff, and then one's problem becomes everyone else's problem.

Akemi glanced up and saw the entire staff suddenly looking at her, even the head-chef poked his head out from the kitchen and smirked. Akemi could almost feel the next moments coming when she felt another heat wave rushing to her face.

" _Boy trouble~"_

Akemi hid her face in her hands and laughter rose around her, and she deflated all embarrassment and smiled instead as brave as she could and muttered as quiet as she could, "Yes. Yes, you can say that."

The father roared with laughter. Akemi tired to ignore the smug look on Emi's face as her father patted heartily her back, "Now, now, Akemi, why don't you take your troubles and spill them upstairs over a hot cup of tea. I bet, Emi is happy to hear you out. We close up in ten anyway."

"Is that okay?" Akemi raised her blushing head as she chuted the chair back, "I'm not intruding or anything?"

"Of course not! we're happy to have you!"

Akemi bowed her head gratefully before she followed after Emi, despite knowing the way to her bedroom all too well as she has been there a couple of times already. She stole a glance at Emi who was practically glowing with delight.

"You know how to stir 'em up, don't you?" she laughed and opened the door wide and dropped herself on the bed, rolling over and sitting up with a pillow in her lap. "Come on. You made me all excited. So what happened? You never have boy troubles."

"Oh that," Akemi waved her hand in dismissal as she lay down on the other side of the bed. "It's nothing really."

"What a lie!" Emi hit her with the pillow and smothered her with it under Akemi's raising laughter. "Tell me!"

"I'm not lying, I'm not!" Akemi giggled and managed to get the pillow away from her face. "I'm just here to tell you something."

"Well?" Emi raised a brow when Akemi grew silent and gazed away slyly, staring holes into the ceiling. Emi raised the pillow again. "Gonna tell me?"

Akemi turned to face her, grinning, saying without a beat, "I broke up with him."

 **Whack!**

"I told you not to lie to me!" Emi cried, frowning at Akemi's confused expression and dishevelled appearance.

"It's the truth."

Emi raised the pillow again and Akemi shut her eye tight. But nothing came. Hesitatingly, Akemi opened her eyes and found Emi to stare at her blankly, pillow still raised. Akemi waited until Emi begun to blink, lowering the pillow onto her lap and gazing at her confused as she asked why.

Akemi stilled, thought and smiled sheepishly, playing with her hair as she rose a brow, suggestively. "I just did. . .?"

 **Whack!**

"What do you mean, you just did?!" Emi growled as she hit Akemi repeatedly with the pillow, "What kind of answer is that? What kind of person does that?"

"What else do you want me to say?" Akemi coughed out under the pillow, long since given up the struggle to resist.

"Do you know what you just did?" Emi bounced to her feet and towered over Akemi, before she threw her hands up, "You raised his entire fan club against you!"

Akemi knew Ueda was a popular choice amount the girls but only the type that cared more about their image and looks rather than any things else. Their weapon consisted more about talks and rumours than actual fists. They didn't pose an actual threat to her so she waved off Emi's concerns with a flick of her hand. "You're exaggerating."

Emi crossed her arms and gave her a challenging stare that Akemi wasn't too willing to return and so she gave up, flopped back down on the bed and stared holes at the ceiling. "So?"

"So?" Akemi echoed innocently.

"Well, details?"

"That's really what you're caring about, hmm?" Akemi gave a her sly look before she pointedly looked away. "Sorry, but I have none to tell."

"Oh, is that so?" Emi rolled her eyes but her fingers were already twitching for the pillow again. "So you'd break someone's heart for fun?"

Emi waited for a reply but Akemi was busy drawing flowers into her bed covers, humming under her breath until she glanced up and grinned, "Maybe. . . .maybe I am that type of person."

"C'mon, there's no way I'd believe that." Emi persisted, "Did something happen? Did he do something?"

Akemi gazed up in thought, "Maybe."

"Fine! Suit yourself. I won't bother you anymore." Emi sighed and rolled over, stretched a hand to grab the magazine laying on her night-stand and made herself comfortable, leaving Akemi to doodle imaginary characters into the covers for awhile until Akemi glanced up with a small smile.

"Hey," she said after awhile and nudged Emi, "Want me to tell you a silly story?"

"No." Emi mumbled and flipped next page, "But go on anyway."

"I know this lady once who used to date men for fun. Never meant anything by it. Just went through men like dress shirts; one after the other." Akemi laughed under her breath, voice hovering almost above a whisper. "She used to walk into bars and catch their attention. Just like that. And when she didn't play by their rules they went crazy."

Emi looked up from the pages. "What did they do?"

Akemi hummed and closed her eyes. "They raised hell. Hit the woman and tired to force her into stuff she didn't want, but she got away." Akemi shrugged and glanced at Emi with glistering eyes. "Didn't last though. They got her in the end. Found her walking in the streets and stalked her."

Emi raised a brow. "Is this really a silly story?"

"They broke into her house and tortured her, molested and assaulted her. And they said she died that night." Akemi continued and drew her legs up and propped her chin on it. "The silly thing is; sightings of that lady are reported still. People are seeing her in bars or bedrooms when they're making love-"

"Is that the reason you've broken up?" Emi blurted, sitting up quickly, "Because you're scared some weird ghost lady will pop up?"

"What? No." Akemi snorted and frowned, wondering just how far they thought she actually progressed in their relationship with Ueda, but continues anyway. "The lady wants revenge by killing other lovers. But at the end she falls in love with one of them. And you know how those stories usually end. . ."

"Yeah, the ghost lady will be rejected by the man, who's then going to banish her for the rest of eternity. He and his lover and the rest of society will then they live happily ever after- _hurray_!" Emi rolled her eyes. "So what about this?"

Akemi grabbed her bag and pulled a script out and hand it to her. "That's the play Kazuko came up with for the cultural festival. She wants you to play the lady part."

"No way." Emi snorted and flicked through the pages until she glanced up, confused. "Hey, isn't the play supposed to be, like, half a year from now?"

"Yup, but she's buzzing with ideas already." Akemi pulled her legs closer and eyed the script. "I'm glad, I'm not part of the drama club. Wouldn't want to learn all that."

"How funny you are." Emi laughed dryly. "So I guess, that's it. You're not going to tell me anything else."

Akemi gave her a knowing look. "You're really adamant to know what happened."

"Why wouldn't I?" Emi said, placing the script on the night-stand. "You seemed so happy with Ueda-san, what could possibly have changed your mind all of a sudden-" her eyes widened comically and she blurted. "Is it because you met someone else?"

"Why would it be?" Akemi frowned, wondering why people were inclined to believe that she'd drop a guy as soon as she'd meet another one. "It's because he liked me way more than I liked him."

Emi gave her a blank stare. "You rejected him because he loved you? Respected and treasured you?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Akemi mumbled, gazing away, forefinger drawing imaginary petals into the cover and from the corner of her eyes she saw Emi's hand twitch. Akemi turned to send her a questioning look but-

 **Whack!**

"I told you to stop lying!" Emi gritted her teeth. "How can I believe that? Why won't you tell me the truth?"

"The truth? I have been telling you the truth all this time." Akemi sent her an annoyed glance and pushed the wild strands away from her face. "I never really liked Yuki-kun. Just played with him to have a little fun. But it got too serious. He bloody fell in love with me. What else was there to do?"

 **Whack!**

"Didn't I tell you to stop lying? there's noway you'd do something like that." Emi gave her an amused but exasperated glance. "It's because you say stuff like this, people think you're a sadist. You should stop giving them ideas."

Akemi smiled slowly, almost mysteriously and doodled on the cover again. "If you say so."

.

.

.

.

 **Whack!**

* * *

 **I know it's been almost a long while since the last update. Since then I've written the next couple of chapters for this story as well as DBU, so rest assured. I'm not going to give up yet on the story. I'm thankful to those that continued to pop in and check for an update. There hasn't been on day—or actually let's say—there hasn't been _a_ month where I haven't got _less than_ a hundred views. It's fair enough to say that it makes me happy. It also motivates me into writing _more._ These days I feel like I'm not just throwing together pages of words that nobody cares to read. You, people, are actually invested in this story and for that I'm grateful—even though I disappeared like that for months and I apologise for that, but _life hit me hard_ (I finally understand meaning of these word and they could be any truer, lol). **

**To express my gratitude, I left an _Omake_. I hope you're going to enjoy it.**

* * *

 ** _Omake. Café Scene._**

* * *

Oh no.

It was bad. Akemi knew it was bad. Very bad.

And yet-

This habit. This temptation. This lulling aroma of baked goods; of sweet chocolate parfait; of sprinkled icing on powered cake; of—

She shook her head, kept her eyes mainly on the types of coffee. On Espresso. On Cappuccino. On Mocha. On Caffeé Latte-

On anything else but the beckoning sweetness in the menu, seemingly calling her, tempting her, she could already hear them singing; _come b_ _u_ _y me_ _I know you want me~_

No. She shouldn't.

No, she wouldn't.

It was bad.

Bad.

 _Resits it,_ her mind screamed at her, ringing alarm bells loudly, clouding her vision in red, stop signals turning on and flashing.

It's forbidden.

"I shouldn't. I definitely shouldn't." she muttered, biting her lips, eyes firmly set at another page, "I cannot."

"You alright there?" Moroboshi looked amused again, lips tweaked into a half smile-half smirk, newspaper long forgotten.

"Of course," she muttered and shut the menu, sliding it to the far of corner next to him and far away from her, closing her eyes briefly, orbs glinting determinedly. "Why wouldn't I be?"

After all Shiho had told her- had _warned_ her; "One thousand two-hundred calories a day. Take few more and consider it a pound more."

Suppressing another whine, Akemi sent a final glance on the menu, speaking her final goodbye before righting her gaze on him. "How are your wounds healing?"

"Alright so far." he flexed his fingers in front of her, still bandaged but at least no blood was seeping through anymore. "Don't tell me you're still worrying about that?"

"Why would I be?" she puffed out, crossing her arms over her chest, giving him an annoyed glance that didn't stay for long. Her eyes softened at the sight of his wrapped hand and she bit her lip, letting out a quiet, "Maybe a little."

He rolled his eyes, lips twitching into a smile. "You're hopeless. Completely, utterly, hopeless."

"Well, sorry," she shrugged, trying to hide her blush under her scarf, "And about coming late, too. I didn't mean to make you wait like that."

He rose a brow, green eyes glinting at her challenging. "As far as I remember you came on time."

"Well, yes, but you were here already and-"

"You worry too much on unnecessary things," he interrupted her, olive eyes giving her a pointed look. "And it's not like you didn't show." Her brows, furrowed in concern, were still not lifted and she heard Moroboshi sigh before he raised his voice again, speaking slowly and stressing each word as he leaned forward. "There's nothing to feel guilty over. I just like to come early."

Akemi pressed her lips together firmly, still not satisfied.

"Besides it's not like you stood me up."

Her cheeks coloured again. "No, I would never. I just...had somewhere important to go." she nodded, thinking it's alright to add, "A sort of check up if you like."

Something glinted in his eyes, deep beneath the murkiness, appearing only for a split second, vanishing somewhere in the breeching shades between light green and yellow in the outer side of his orbs before she could lay a finger on what it was.

He glanced at her uncertainly. "…..not for your health, right?"

She laughed, waving her hand no, "An old friend often steps by my home in need of a chit-chat. Apparently talking to me makes him happy."

Smiling widely, Akemi secretly hoped he didn't notice the lies flowing out of her mouth like running water, practiced and measured as she had many times before. She watch him nod and turn back to his coffee, and was internally glad that he didn't catch on, that he didn't call her up on it.

She leaned back and relax, continuing their idle talk that she found to be more about nothing than anything. It carried a degree of pointless, an exchange of sudden thoughts; of ideas; of things heard- from news; from people, of things unrelated to themselves directly. Akemi noticed he was keeping to himself as much as she was. He held more than he gave. She could see it in the glints of his eyes, the twitches of his lips and the uncaring air he surrounded himself with. A man with too much time in his hands, she thought then, sipping from her coffee, gazing at him steadily as he flipped his phone opened and typed a quick message.

And she was sure then.

Like a lion in a den, he was waiting for his prey. A prey that was carelessly wandering off to his direction, directly into his line of sight, unknowingly wandering steps closer towards death, wandering closer, closer, right into his palm. Lion's claws sinking deep into their skin, ripping them apart from inside out until nothing else remained.

Akemi felt a shudder ripple up her back and she shook her head, ridding herself from that thought, placing her empty cup down. Coming at last with the conclusion that he was a man full of secrets.

A man that pegged her interest.


	3. Chapter 3

**Helloooo!**

 **I hope you're up with another chapter! This time I've tried something new and changed from the past tense to the present tense! Taaa-daa!**

 **I hope you enjoy! As always!**

* * *

Akemi wipes the tables with rapid speed, fighting down a spreading smile. Excitement bubbles in her chest, bursting and engulfing her in warmth. She risks glancing at the clock. Only ten minutes to go. This time Akemi couldn't fight the laughter bursting from throat and she ducks her head when her co-workers stare at her as though she grew insane, wry smiles on their lips as they secretly observe her weird antics that rose within the past days.

Akemi knows that wild speculations are buzzing among her colleagues. She also knows the majority of said speculations are way off the mark from the actual truth. Throwing a grin at them wide and wicked, she carries the dirtied plates into the kitchen where the chefs meets her with knowing eyes and wry grins that told of their awareness, and she is in that giddy mood again, they constantly refer to as ' _that'._

"Dear, why don't you tell us what makes you so happy on Wednesdays?" Emi's father asks, wiping the counter clean. From behind, hovering above the sizzling pans and peppering spices, the cook adds, "Not to mentioned on _Mondays_ and _Fridays._ "

Akemi laughs, places the dishes into the sink brim full of dirty cutleries and tableware, turning to face them only to place a finger on her lips, alighting sparks of disappointed sighing, and she raises her nose indifferently, pushes her sleeves up and readies herself to wash up.

It's her secret to keep after all. Not to mention, the reactions they would have _if_ they ever were to find about her _secret_. Their reaction when they first learnt she was having _boy trouble_ was nightmare inducing enough (and she is still not over it, thank you very much).

Akemi scrubs the silverware clean in quick succession, trying her best to finish her workload on time. She glances at the clock, five minutes left until shift-end.

Her smile blooms ecstatically, humming rhythmically at the sight of flowing soap between her fingers, and she thinks she still remembers the butterflies swarming in her stomach, the light-headedness, this exhilarating feeling rippling up her arms, _this excitement,_ when she first met him. But most of all she remembers a pair of olive eyes and a smile of hidden danger.

A shudder falls down her slender shoulders and the corners of her lips crinkle in secret excitement. He was dangerous, a voice chides inside her head. Someone to be caution about. To stay away from. And yet Akemi doesn't mind. Be it her insanity- obscurity induced by accumulated sleep deprivation, the end product of a crushed mind suffering from increased heavy workloads, her craziness created by hanging out with those _dark clothed men_ \- but Akemi doesn't mind at all. He is harmless, she reasons, kind even.

Her cheeks tinge red in her remembrance of their general talk over the strong smell of brewing coffee lulling in the intermediate space between them and the warm atmosphere in which Akemi profoundly apologised over and over again for the bandage still wrapped around his fingers and places her eyes couldn't reach.

" _Would you mind me seeing you again?"_

" _Not at all," her cheeks flushed, "I would love to, in fact."_

Her lips curve wider than her usual wide smile and Akemi could hear the bells ringing in her ears as she rushes into the changing rooms, seeing her cheeks flush even redder in her reflection as she loosens her hair from the scrunchy, trying her best to straighten her hair out in her rush.

Despite having only met each other for a couple of times, Akemi couldn't help but feel _so_ excited. Usually they only met up so far to grab a quick coffee and chat through a stroll in neighbourhood. It isn't much but Akemi enjoys the walks in falling snow and cold gusts of wind.

Akemi leaves the restaurant with heart-warming goodbyes from her co-workers and merry shouts of _Good_ _l_ _ucks!_ and Akemi thanks each of them with a smile, wondering whether they know she was heading off to a date with a handsome stranger- or could she call him an acquaintance now? Akemi wrinkles her nose against the evening cold. So far all the acquaintances she has were bad connections that she rather spends her time forgetting about. She really doesn't want to put him on the same spot as those dark-clothed men.

Akemi steps out of the alley of the restaurant's back entrance, walking down the open street down to their agreed meeting spot. It's a little side street four blocks down, near the town square. The street is almost deserted when Akemi reaches it but she isn't all too surprised when she glances down at her wrist watch. It's close to ten o'clock and most people were on their way home by now, if not in bars or rushing into the last shopping centres.

Akemi sinks her reddening nose deeper into her shawl, glancing around but Dai really isn't here yet.

 _Strange, he always comes early. . . ._

Akemi spends sometime nibbling her bottom lip, thinks the people crossing by wouldn't mind much if she busies herself with the fallen snow on the ground. With rising conviction, Akemi squats down, pulling her gloves tightly over her finger before she gathers a handful of fine snow, carefully moulding shapes with little thinking and before she realises it, she is drawing a pair of eyes, a little nose, shoulder length hair that resembled all too well her sister.

 _Shiho. . ._

Melancholic and a tad bit nostalgic, Akemi trails her fingers over the brittle curve of a cheek, light touches denting the moulded shape and she reshapes the features, more and more until it finally resembles her little, darling sister.

A pair of hands covers her eyes and Akemi feels a smile spreading that she fought hard to keep down, and yet there is echoing laughter rising and descending in her voice when she tells him, as sternly as she could, "You're late!"

Moroboshi shrugs, speaks of traffic and slow cars moving along the roads and Akemi falls into the habit to roll her eyes, teasing his habit to speed drive until Moroboshi attention is taken away by the little face on the street side, and after a moment he is whistling, moving closer and gazing at the ice figure fondly.

"Pretty, isn't she?"

Moroboshi hums his reply, still inspecting it, appreciatively. "You do this a lot?"

"Nah, just a couple of times when I was younger. It made time fly by fast whenever I had to wait for my parents to finish their work." Akemi says, loading snow onto her hands and dumps it over her sister's head, driving her fingers through to softly wreck it, brittling until there is nothing left of her sister's image. Moroboshi watches quietly, almost contemplatively until he slowly raises his face to look at her sad smile and lonely eyes. "It was also one of the small things I was able to teach my sister."

"Is that so?" Moroboshi drawls, face indifferent but Akemi knows he is intently listening. He is the only one that listens, so she feels strangely comforted when he crouches next to her, a narrow gap in between them that Akemi doesn't feel as she leans her head on his shoulder. She closes her eyes for a moment, wishes her troubling thoughts away, at least until she gets home and can brawl her miseries into the soft confines of her pillow, muffling every sound until there's nothing for the world to hear. Nothing for the world to mock her with. Nothing for the world to laugh about. . .

Moroboshi shifts and she raised her head off his shoulder, flutters her eyes open, meets a pair of gloved hands in front of her and a voice that warms her insides when Moroboshi began to speak. "I guess, you can teach me too then."

Akemi stares blankly as her eyes searches his face for a joke she didn't hear. There is only sincerity in his expression and something underneath that doesn't appear to be malicious at all.

He raises a brow at her silence, smirking ever so slightly and Akemi breaths out deeply, grabs his hands and leans in even closer, breathing instructions into his ear and guiding him to mould shapes with relative ease, and she ends up laughing each time it brittles in his hands and after a couple of more times Moroboshi gives up, shakes the snow of his hands as he mutters how his hands are just made for destruction rather than creation.

Akemi quirks an eyebrow, shapes the remaining snow into a ball. "I never knew you were a quitter. You barely just started out. It took me more than three months to make a hand and here you are, complaining that you can't even make a square."

He give her a look and stands up, dusts his trousers off, and Akemi couldn't help but throw the snowball at his face, snickering when he wipes it off and gives her an unimpressed look and an unexpressed _Tsk_ that she could hear ringing in her head, so when he raised his hands Akemi thinks she is totally justified when she tries to cover herself and awaits bouts of snow to smash on her, but instead a hand tugs on her elbow. Moroboshi pulls her up to her feet. Only then, Akemi notices that she is wet, cold and covered in snow and after a moment Akemi realises is freezing too.

Moroboshi guides his fingers through her hair, brushing away the snow and Akemi busies herself into patting her mantle and black jeans snow free. "I should get you home."

Akemi turns, glances at him apologetically when he leads her down the road. The stores and corner shops are alight with bright neon signs, street lamps flickering at every corner and Akemi finds comfort in his scent, sniffs the sandalwood and its musky, pungent smell of spices- until it hits far too close at memory lane and she remembers with rising bitterness long forgotten hours spent under a bookshelf, wrapped around a blanket, a flash-light sitting between her teeth, flipping pages after pages, scanning the same words over and over, dreaming of a world full of princes swooning over downtrodden village maids, picking them up and riding them together to the everlasting sunset. She remembers cherishing it, relishing it, believing one day someone would come and dampen her pain.

So she read.

And she read on.

Until that day came that took her parents.

That explosion that blew her life to pieces, and she remembers picking them up again, each shard, one after another, thinking it'd be alright, thinking she still got her sister, that they'd be alright, that they would support another, be there for another. But then her sister decides to leave too.

" _I've decided. I'm going to study in America. So once I come back I can continue our parents' research. You won't mind, will you?"_

Akemi shakes her head, suppresses a bitter snort, rids her head of unfounded hopes and emotional disturbances. She has burned those fairy-tales a long time ago when it first became threadbare, meaningless, empty. Its taste long lost on her tongue even now, words no longer credible, relevant.

"Is something wrong?"

Akemi is pulled out of her thoughts by the concern she hears from his voice, she glances up but he looks straight ahead, transfixed at the evening sky and its darkening colour that continues to mix deep purple to black.

"I'm sorry." Akemi breaths out, evades his questions and says instead, "This wasn't how today was supposed to go."

"Yeah, I know." Moroboshi replies and gives her a lingering look before he grabs her arm and leads her out of the side road to where he parked his Chevrolet.

Akemi stares at the sky, counts the many stars as he pulls out his car keys, and she mutters how it's his fault for coming late, that she wouldn't have played with the snow otherwise.

Moroboshi only sighs and opens the car door in response, but glances her over from the rear mirror when she stays too silent and plays with the rem of her shirt halfway through the drive- and after the third glance over, Moroboshi is certain that her eyes are too glassy and too shiny, and for a moment he wonders whether Akemi is holding back tears out of guilt. He's already aware that Akemi is fairly sensitive but would she cry for a date gone wrong? Has he done something wrong?

Mentally reconstructing the recent events, Moroboshi is certain that nothing tear inducing has happened, so why would she make such a face?

About to inquire what has upset her so much, Moroboshi is surprised too see that Akemi has raised her head and _smile_ _d,_ cheerfully telling him with her usual happy-go lucky attitude to step by her home, have a hot drink to warm up, and crack up strange jokes about him only pretending to have a cold exterior as chilling as the weather but actually being a mushy pudding inside.

She cringes and laughs at her failed joke and Moroboshi is too disturbed to bother responding, but he takes it as hard evidence to prove his suspicion. Regardless how natural her façade appears to others, her bubbly personality just reeks rotten to him and he is getting annoyed at her for bothering to hide it when she was so bad at it. So the next moment he hit the break at a stop light, he turns to gaze at her now _dry_ eyes.

 _S_ _he is s_ _uppress_ _ing_ _it_ , he muses, thinking that Akemi must have had practice, _maybe she isn't as bad at I thought._

But still not good enough to hide it from him.

Akemi tips her head to the side, inquisitively, wide eyes prodding for answers he didn't give until she asks at last. "What is it?"

Moroboshi looks back at the streets, the light turns orange, then green, and he steps on it, speeds down the highway when he says, "May I ask you a question?"

Taken aback by the sudden formality, Akemi only nods and furrows her brows. She sinks her teeth into her lips and glances away, her fingers fiddling with the end's of her shirt. "Yeah, sure. Fire away."

 _So she is nervous._ Moroboshi infers and uses a hand to open the drawer on the passenger side, she tenses but does nothing when he grabs a pack of cigarette and throws it on her lap. "Get me one out first."

Akemi snorts and leans her head against the window as she fishes one out with difficulty. Her fingers are trembling and he sees her ducking her head, hiding her face behind her hair, seemingly taking in deep breaths and stilling the shakes of her fingers enough to grab one and place it on his outstretched hand.

He knows she is watching when he guides the cigarette to his lips and knows she is expecting him to answer now. But he ignores it, points instead at the lighter shoved under papers files and open envelops. Akemi rolls her eyes but searches for it and gives it to him but Moroboshi shakes his head as he puts both hands on the steering wheel. "Light it."

"What?"

His eyes doesn't narrow at her quaking voice, her unease, her masked annoyance and her pale complexion, and neither does it at her reluctance as she draws closer to the edge of her seat, _but_ it does narrow at her trembling shoulders and widening eyes.

"You heard me. I want you to light it." Moroboshi doesn't face her but glances at her direction briefly. "Don't tell me you're scared. That, you think I'll bite your fingers off."

Akemi cracks a smile and takes in a deep breath before she moves closer. Moroboshi' eyes are on the road but he keeps her in his peripheral sight, and sees her move back and keep the lighter away from him. "And you will finally tell me what's on your mind?"

Moroboshi hums non-committally, but nods. Satisfied, Akemi leans in again and tries to light his cigarette, furrows her brows in concentration, ignites miniature sparks, and tries again and again until the indiscernible light tremors running through her hands gradually becomes shakes that not even deep breaths could sedate.

Before she could withdraw her hand, Moroboshi grabs it, squeezes her hand in attempt to stop the trembles. But he was still not looking at her. "Why are you shaking?"

Akemi blanks out and she stares at him before she laughs, withdraws her hand as she smiles carelessly. "I tried too hard I guess. I'm no good with those things. It just takes longer for me to make a flame than others. Especially when it comes to candles. I _can't light_ candles."

Moroboshi raises a brow, says nothing about the practiced excuses tumbling out of her mouth and takes the lighter out of her hand, lights his own cigarette and rolls his window down, hoping the wind dries Akemi's wet eyes quicker than she can suppress.

"You know," Moroboshi began slowly when Akemi's eyes suspiciously reddens. "There's no need to excuse your actions or emotions. You don't need to be cheerful at all times. If you want to cry, just cry. If you're angry, just scream. And if you're hurt," he halted, thinking of a way to word it before he finishes rather lamely, "If you're hurt, you can say that too."

"If I say it," Akemi wipes her eyes against her sleeve, voice dangerously close to crack, "Would it even make a difference?"

"No. But certainly bearable."

"And that applies to you too? I'm sure you'd never voice your troubles."

"That's right. Because I take care of it," he gazes at her pointedly and the message is clear but he still spells it out for because he knows how stubborn she can get. "If it gets to that point you have irregular crying fits, then it's time to speak up about it. When dark emotions are locked up for too long, they'll end up consuming you."

"I doubt I would get any crazier than I am now." Akemi says and takes a deep breath of his musky scent and hidden spices that brought up memories from her mind that she rather spends time forgetting about. "You know, I had this feeling that we're really different—you, being composed and intact whilst I spend my life flailing all over the places, dragging baggage everywhere I go and holding people back because of my selfish needs."

She sees Moroboshi quirk an eyebrow and turns to fully look at him with a face so passive and blank but with deep grief hidden behind the pools of her eyes that she is sure he can see, and for the first time she feels _understood_.

"But we're not that different, are we? You're carrying baggage around too, aren't you? It's just that you can handle it better than I can. In fact, you're stronger than me too, right? More independent and more emotionally adept than I can ever dream to be," she laughs but there is no joy bouncing off—to his ears her laughter sound like broken sobs and heart-wringing vocal sounds rather than melodious laughter that everyone else would hear.

He tightens the grip on the wheel, uses a free hand to interlink their fingers, squeezing gently as he whispers. "We don't have to continue this conversation, you know. If it's too much, you can break it into chunks. Tell me tomorrow. The day after that too." he glances at he briefly. "I won't disappear so quickly."

"Good things in life generally don't last forever." she tightens her grip and smils, albeit sadly. "So until then I'd like you to know that you can rely on me too. Because I can understand too. Not as much as you but certainly more so than others, I think."

Moroboshi doesn't reply and lets the silence settle in between them until the familiar sights of Akemi's neighbourhood came into vision.

* * *

Akemi knows her apartment is strangely depersonalised since she only uses it as a place to work, eat and sleep in. There isn't enough time for her to decorate it with pictures or much unnecessary accommodations that spoke of ongoing life. Still, Akemi is pretty sure the bright coloured walls and her furniture are cosy enough to spread a warm and loving atmosphere. But she is unsure whether it is warm enough for Moroboshi. The hand she has held onto during the drive felt incredibly cold.

Akemi dares to peek at his face, cranks her head up awkwardly, snuggles her head further up his shoulder, wondering silently whether her warmth could melt away the frigidity in his expression. She pulls the blanket wrapped around her tightly, and raises the ends up to him, offering to share it in hopes he'd get a little warmer. But he shakes his head and flashes her a light smile, retrains his eyes on the evening news, quietly sipping from his drink. Akemi shuts her eyes and hums through the silence, trailes the rim of her cup with a forefinger, listening to his unwavering heartbeat that warms her heart to the core.

"Thank you."

Akemi hears the words leave her lips before she knows it. Moroboshi turns to raise a brow at her but Akemi only drapes the blanket over her face, hiding the rising blush on her cheeks. "I don't know why. I just felt like saying it."

He nods but gives her a peculiar look that has Akemi giggling under her breath, and she interlinks their fingers again, cold against warm and she grabs it a little tighter, smiles coyly at him and his frigidity. "If you _really_ need a reason I can make up a few."

"No, thank you." Moroboshi's mutter is quick and sharp. He redirects his eyes at the TV, and Akemi feels the confusion rise in her and she frowns at him before her face splits into a knowing grin and twinkling eyes.

"Did I embarrass you?" she teases, placing a hand on his chest, and laughs when one of his brows twitches. But Akemi keeps her hand firm in place, wondering how long it would take until he'd jump away with a blushing head.

Akemi knows she's damned if she is the only one blushing like a fool in their relationship, so she raises her head away from his broad shoulder and nuzzles into his neck. He stiffens before he relaxed, not even moving an inch.

Akemi frowns and looks up but Moroboshi isn't looking at her so she takes the next steps and squeezes his hand, leans the side of her chest against his arm, and presses her lips against his skin. A blush crawls up to her face but she yields and doesn't move from her position, hoping that a blush is perched on his cheeks too.

She dares to glance at his face, surprised to see no reaction.

His face is calm- _untroubled_ \- when he is supposed to be frazzled- _undone-_ just like all the others she has dated, or has she done something wrong?

Akemi feels her face catch fire at the thought, she raises her blanket and hides her face underneath it, hoping he wouldn't pick on her actions but it seems she has hoped for too much.

"Did you plan to invite me here under the pretext to seduce me?" his voice is quiet, a notch louder than the advertisement flashing on the screen, noising faintly in the background. "Because it appears so."

Akemi curses in her mind and buries deeper into the soft fabric as she wonders whether she has taken the joke too far. He turns the volume down and she risks a peek at him, lowering the blanket just a little to notice that he is still not looking at her. A hand is propped under his chin, and eyes are lazily following the moving pictures on the screen.

The blanket falls on her lap and Akemi is surprised and mildly offended at his lack of care _and_ attention, since she _knows_ that most who aren't nuts about her would have shooed away uncomfortably by now, and she knows _definitely_ that he is not nuts about her.

 _So why isn't he?_

Akemi throws her TV a suspicious glance, it couldn't be that the screen so interesting that he has barely realised what she has done, right?

"Mhmm? Sure I realised it."

Akemi blinks and stares at the amusement reflected inside the pools of his chartreuse eyes that looks at her. "What?"

"You spoke out loud." Moroboshi answers a matter of fact, eyes still glinting with hidden laughter. "And to answer your question, I thought you'd get too embarrassed if I looked at you. I was doing you favour."

"This is because you never blush." she hides her hot face behind her hands. "This is really not fair."

Moroboshi gives her an awry grin. "I'm a man. Of course, I don't blush. I'd rather die."

"Why you're so extreme? It's a natural response." Akemi raises her head to quirk a brow, glad that the redness on her face is slowly receding. "I've seen many do it. It's just you that doesn't."

"I'd be a fool if I did." He mutters, raises his drink to his lips again. Akemi gives him an eye roll and grabs her own drink off the table, leaning on him again, humming at the warmth seeping from him and warming her, wondering why he keeps his warmth hidden under his cold expression. Unlike him, Akemi always tries to share her warmth with whoever possible than shut it away, keeping it to herself like he does.

 _Maybe I can change that._

Picking up the blanket again, Akemi drapes it around the two of them despite Moroboshi's silent protests. His eyes are threatening her but Akemi is too busy marvelling the stark colour contrast of his navy blue shirt and her orange blanket. She nods, rather liking the contrast. "Hey, we could match next time. If you wear your brown shirt from the other day, I could put on my-"

"No." His voice leads absolutely no room for discussion, so Akemi let the matter drop for the time being. She is rather relieved that he isn't taking her blanket off despite the mean look he keeps giving it. Akemi can't understand why he doesn't like it. It's soft, warm and smells like. . .

 _O_ _oo_ _h, I get it._

Akemi grins wicked against the orange fabric, giving him a knowing look that he doesn't take too kindly.

But he glances at her indifferently yet she can still see the suspicion moulding in his chartreuse eyes. "What is it?"

Akemi sniffs the blanket again, holding it close to her nose and confirms her thoughts. She nods. "You don't like floral scents? don't tell me you think they're too girly for you?"

He raises a brow. "What?"

She grins teasingly. "I didn't realise I was dating a wannabe macho man."

Realisation flashes in his smoky eyes and after a while he snorts. "I'm not a fan of them but that doesn't mean I can't stand them."

But Akemi is still sceptical. "So you don't mind it?"

"Let's say I'm used to it."

Akemi frowns. "Because your mum uses it?"

"Hell no. She'd rather use oriental."

"Then who?" Akemi blinks, as far as she knows he doesn't have a sister.

 _Maybe a girl cousin? A past girlfriend?_

Moroboshi just gives her a smug look, and Akemi is sure she is supposed to think that he's a ladies' man (—or did a lady-killer fit him more?) Akemi is entirely sure so she blinks at him and then snorts, slaps his chest with a light hand, and tells him he doesn't make the cut when in fact he does.

After all who could not? There aren't many out there that could derange Akemi into a blushing mess as easy as he does—although she is known to blush a lot, not to mention she could smile for hours just thinking that someone. . . .

She frowns.

 _I just disproved my own point._

Nonetheless, from the way Moroboshi handles the situation (and conversation, mind) Akemi guesses he had been through this more than enough to be called a veteran. She wonders whether she can ever converse with him over clothing articles and make up arrangements. Maybe he knows about hair style assortments too? At least then, she doesn't have to knock at Kazuko's door for extra advice. . . .

" _Hell no_. . ." Moroboshi looks ready to flee right there. Akemi blinks, realises to have spoken out loud again.

"It was just a joke! I would never put you through that." She smiles sheepishly. Well, at least now she knows he isn't as cool about everything as he pretends to be. She stared at his narrow eyes and hard expression that are the only give away that he feels dismayed, but Akemi knows he feels way worse inside.

Way, way worse.

Laughing at her new found knowledge, Akemi is at last proud to have made him at last uncomfortable.

 _. . . Although he still has yet to blush._

"You seemed a tad bit too serious about that." He is still dismayed but but at least his disturbed expression is melting away and replaced by an air of indifference. Akemi is still giggling, hiding away the fact that she actually _i_ _s_. But he doesn't have to know that, right?

Akemi throws her hands over her mouth.

 _I didn't, did I?_

"Yes, you did. I heard that." Moroboshi answers before he glances at her. "Not that I mind, but I'm sure your sister would freak out when she comes home."

Akemi glances at him with wide eyes but Moroboshi only smirks. "I'm only guessing that she doesn't see her sister everyday in such a compromising position."

Akemi glances down and sees that she is practically sitting on his lap, with alarming heartbeat, she pushes off quickly, _too_ quickly. Her arms are flailing about and she loses balances. She shuts her eyes, braces for the impact that never came thanks to Moroboshi tight grip on her. Akemi's was bright red as she seats far away from him, reddening with every sound of his chuckles and too amused eyes until she remembers and moves a bit closer to him, saying, "You know, my sister doesn't actually live here."

He looks surprised and she elaborates, "She finished her studies in America months ago, but Shiho lives in a sort of institution now. She lives and works there."

Moroboshi is silent for a moment. "I thought she was younger than you."

Akemi smiles and says, "Yeah, but unlike me she's a genius. Young, but a genius and very stoic too."

Moroboshi raises an eyebrow, interested, and Akemi shifts in her seat, wraps her arms around her legs and leans her chin on her knees. "To be honest her intelligence was expected considering my parents were geniuses too. And you could say stoicism runs in my family too. Although it skipped me and my mum— she was somehow always gentle." Her pretty face contorts despite the warmth of her words. "Science makes people stoic, I guess. Make them learn to love facts and data than people and emotions."

Moroboshi turns to face her with unexpressed eyes and Akemi ducks her head, a smile blooming on her face and she shifts into a comfortable position, much more willing to share than she initially thought.

"You know, science is what my parents loved and were willing to give all their time too. Sometimes I'd like to think that their fixation had a good cause at the end, so their time lost studying it becomes precious and worthwhile." She glances up, smiling albeit sadly, pulling her knees closer to her chest, whispering lost in thought. "Does that sound stupid?"

Moroboshi answers not, gazes at the music commercials flashing on the screen that went unseen through his eyes as Akemi speaks of distant parents and cold eyes but loving embraces she received in stormy nights. He listens intently. Dissects her words and flips them over, searching for hidden clues and messages he could extract when words of her sister roll around her tongue, her passion and stoicism that is getting out of hand.

Moroboshi hears the melancholic feelings dancing off her tongue, sees her glazing eyes that seems too bright under the glow of artificial lamp light—too misted to speak of warm sisterly love but of deep buried pain that seems in her eyes too unfounded to be openly expressed, so he sits in silence, listens to her words and the silence she needs between each sentence, the faltering breaths, trembling shoulders, each brief flutter of her lashes—until each word weights heavily on her tongue—until her eyes flutters completely shut—until her breath suddenly evens—and even then he continues to listen to her soft breaths, feels the rise and fall of her chest against his arm even after Akemi has fallen asleep.

Moroboshi adjusts her weight under his arms and lies her down on the sofa. He steers his thoughts on how the hours of her shift could wear her down to this extent when it never has done before, rather than lingering his mind on the amount danger careless sleeping on a man's arm could bring, much less to have left him freely accessible to her own home. But since it has left him in a favourable position, Moroboshi doesn't particularly mind.

He grabs the blanket off the couch and drapes it over her, suddenly noticing a speck of bluish pink just underneath her collar. With practice fingers he opens the first button of her shirt, pushes the collar down with an index finger, and reveals a creamy neck puckered with faded bruises. His brows furrows, how hasn't he notice it before?

A thought comes to mind and his eye fall on the orange blanket. He picks it up and inspects it under keen eyes and not long after he can see traces of red spots scattered across the frilly ends. For a moment, his eyes land on Akemi's sleeping face before he remembers what he has found when he first glanced around her house.

No cameras.

No listening devices.

No. . . _anything_.

Without another thought, Moroboshi leaves the living room, inspects the halls and the kitchen, leaves her bedroom as last, as he shuffles through the drawers and cupboards for any hints of her hidden agenda. As far as he is aware she isn't essential enough to the organisation to be assigned any work that deals with physical assaults as a consequence.

Is it because something different then?

Moroboshi remembers that she's attending a university but surely her classmates are reaching the age to sort through malices and hatred without resorting to any physical attacks. He doesn't think she is bullied either. Nor has she been in any abusive relationship recently, if not ever.

Is she doing it to herself then?

He breathes out deeply, recalls a melancholic voice and unconcealed anguish. Slowly, he shakes his head and closes the bedroom behind him, returns back to the living room where he sees that she has flipped over, now lying on her stomach, half her face is covered with hair, cascading to her lower back and he realises then. Her hair conceals it all. The smiles she wears are hiding it all.

Her whole existence is a façade she keeps to hide her real self.

But from what though? What could possibly threaten her?

Moroboshi thinks he is going to unravel it. Strip away all her secrets until she's bare and open to see. Open enough for him to work on—work with.

Picking up the fallen blanket one more time, he pulls it over her.

 _Maybe. . ._

They weren't so different at all.

Moroboshi could understand her. More so than she could him.

 _I have the upper hand, after all._

* * *

Akemi feels really warm.

 _Maybe . . ._

This was her fairytale, an upside down fairy-tales in which she swoons over instead, riding against the everlasting sunset towards the darkening evening sky.

But she could honestly careless.

If it's this hand that holds her— _continues_ to hold onto her—

She didn't mind.

* * *

 **For those waiting for a chapter on DBW, please be patient. There will be an update soon.**

 **I can't name the date specifically, but I can assure it'll be before this year ends. . . .**

 **(Haha! It was a joke.)**

 **Of course, it will be soon.**

 **And don't forget to review! I'd loved to hear all your opinions!**

* * *

 **By the way, I've forgotte** **n to ask, how you guys are finding Moroboshi so far? since he's just an alias I kind of wanted to make him _like_ Akai, but at the same time _not_ like Akai. **

**Aren't his and Akemi's interaction just so cute and innocent?**

 **Let me know what you think!**

 **For the shy ones (yes, I'm talking about you, read and runners! XD) you're welcome to leave guest reviews. Even if you just want to chew me out for taking too long to update, I'll be happy!**

 **(No, I'm not a masochist!)**

 **It shows me that you care, and it makes me care too!**

 **That's, why R &R!**

And I mean read and review, not read and run! :D


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello!**

 **Haven't been here for a while, I know. I'm ashamed to say that my writing pace deteriorated lately. I have always been a slow writer but these days I'm writing like a running turtle, which is- as you probably can imagine- _really_ slow. But yeah, I'll try to handle it somehow.**

 **Anyway enjoy!**

 **And don't forget! R &R! **

* * *

When January rolled by, the snow melted away under the heavy showers and singsongs of pitter patterns that Akemi sung along, made up lyrics flowing freely from her tongue, swaying to the improvised beats and rhythms, smiling brightly as the sea—or was stars? the sun? Akemi laughed, changed it to the moon when the next illusive chorus rolled by.

" _When it's gets dark. In the night._

 _A time where clouds hide._

 _Beneath the stars and the mist._

 _Can you hear?_

 _There's a silent whist~le._

 _Pulled me by the wrist._

 _I stole a wish._

 _From the moon—_

"—that took my dish~es." Akemi placed her bag on the table and fished her notebook out, swayed her head to the tune drumming away inside her mind. "Could nineeee. I hide~"

"There's absolutely no continuity in what you're saying." Natsumi said, carefully holding the packet of gum as still as possible whilst she pulled one out with her teeth, her fingernails wet with pastel colour that Kazuko was still painting on, highly concentrated with her furrowed brows and focused eyes.

"I knew I'd be the only one revising." Emi sighed and flipped her book open, pencil in hand and calculator readied for immediate use. "I should've gone to the library by myself rather than study here with you, guys."

"What's wrong with the study hall?" Natsumi asked as she popped a bubble, glancing around. The room was spacious, packed with chairs and tables, computers set up at the side and rows of book rowed on shelves, along with the casual amount of people sitting together, playing cards or showing each other videos with raucous bouts of laughter. "It's cool here."

"It's more like a hangout spot than a place for revision." Emi mumbled and burrowed her face deeper into her book with a thick frown perched on her forehead, tackling her way into calculus and arithmetic analysis and blatantly ignored the deepening crimson spreading across Akemi's face when a familiar ping vibrated from her phone.

Kazuko and Natsumi only stared when Akemi sunk into her little world of giggles and blushes and mysterious eyes, books and pencils remaining forgotten on the table.

But they only sighed, long since used to it.

* * *

The messages were few and far between, teetering around the rough edges of casual acquaintance, tripping with with abundant shyness into the threshold of intimacy, slipping into the atmosphere of a blossoming relationship.

There were rumours flying left and right over her absent-minded head. Her brows were knitted in futile efforts to conjure harmless strings of letters, penetrable enough to gaze deeper into his soul, deeper into his slick heart.

 _I wonder what he's hiding._

Akemi settled with a particular sad emoticon, added additional tears to punctuate her displeasure and dissatisfaction at his unresponsiveness. He hadn't replied for three days now. He couldn't have gotten sick of her already. They barely stepped by phase one. Only gotten to know each other this far.

 _Was I too pushy?_

 _Is he upset at me now?_

Akemi chewed on her lips, stole an uneasily glance at her phone that had yet to ping.

She marvelled over her wrong doings—actions that drew his brows down, made him snub his nose and pull back. But she came to realise that no such thing has happened. Never once did he throw an annoyed glance at her or rolled his eyes at her presence—although he _did_ have a habit to mock her crazy ideas with an occasional raised eyebrow—but where was the harm in that? Moroboshi was a straight-forward kind of guy. He would voice his displeasure head on. Even if he would have to chew her out during the process.

Akemi drummed away on the table, sighing into her hand as she glanced relentlessly at her phone. Staring at the blank screen minutes too long until she grabbed it and pushed her chair back, mumbling something along the lines of coming back and bathroom as she rushed down the stairs, getting away from the pitched floor and curious glances that followed after her until thick wooden doors clunked shut behind her.

Akemi pressed her phone closer to her ears, listened to the steady bleeps, her fingers playing nervously with her lips to abate the rising uneasy bubbling in her stomach.

 _Why isn't he picking up?_

She was fairly certain those black clothed men wouldn't have gotten to him. As far as she knew he should have been out of danger. They wouldn't carelessly attack an innocent citizen. Not without a reason.

A chill crept down her shoulders and she shuddered, drew her arms closer to herself, keeping herself warm enough to shoo those dark thoughts from entering her mind.

She shook her head determinedly, breaking the connection off at the twenty-seventh ring. They couldn't have a reason to target him. Not unless he was an officer of some kind—an agent that targeted the organisation. Someone that _knew_ of the organisation.

But Moroboshi, although cold-hearted, was innocent. Akemi was sure of that. Sure that he didn't know. Wouldn't get to know. She'd never tell him. Won't ever tell him.

 _I need to calm down._

Akemi breathed out evenly until her heart stopped racing miles. She glanced down at her phone.

Two unread message.

One intercepted phone call.

Akemi breathed out from her nose, glad she didn't appeared to be too pushy. Much less clingy. But worried. Only worried, which was completely _fine_.

 _I'm thinking too much._

She stashed the phone in her pocket, turning around to head back when she remembered the lecturer at the podium, curious glances from the back and she blushed bright red at the manner she left her class—well, at least until her phone vibrated.

Akemi wasted no time digging into her pocket, hit the button after many attempts from her fumbling fingers. She cradled the phone against her ear, listened intently to each sound echoing from the line that lightened her heart and grazed a smile on her lips.

" _ **You're so adamant**."_

"Why wouldn't I be?" Akemi rolled a strand around her finger with a shy smile, grinning when she heard him hum quietly. _So he isn't mad_ _after all_ _._ "The last time I got to meet you was. . .when? Last month?"

" _ **Technically**_ _,"_ Moroboshi begun and Akemi was already rolling her eyes exasperatedly. Leave it to him to get to the specifics. But her heart leaped. _I know that much about him already._ _"_ _ **I**_ _ **t was a week ago**_ _."_

"That might be. But I like hearing from you." Akemi felt a smile stretch on her lips as she leaned on the wall, cradling the phone closer to her ear, even as Moroboshi snorted, knowing that there were amused tinged hidden behind the frost of his voice that warmed her core to a sparkling degree.

She closed her eyes, taking away as much as she could from his quiet voice, reminding her of their consistent text messages they exchanged over the passed weeks. But they weren't exactly enough for her. Akemi knew she had a monster hidden in her belly. A monster that wanted to seize whatever her hands laid on, and even then it wanted _more._ But what it wanted didn't matter. Akemi was glad to take whatever she received and so she nodded, whispering a _yeah_ that kept the idle conversation going.

Even as the lecture continued behind the wall.

Even as the bell rung.

Even as the chairs creaked back and shuffles resounded in the nearby halls.

Even as the floor was jammed packed with people streaming in and out of the corridor.

Akemi kept leaning on the wall, conversing with the smooth voice that flowed into her ears and reverberated across the smooth edges of her heart. Lifted her heart.

* * *

Some of her friends were sceptical.

Others were concerned.

But rumour had it. . .

. . . she was in love.

* * *

" _Pffft—"_ Akemi reared her glossy head, choked on uncontrollable laughter. She stared at her friends through wide unbelievable eyes. "You think that I'm in— _haha!_ You're joking!"

It bubbled out of her mouth like water from a running tap, water sloshing down a waterfall and Akemi clutched her belly tightly, wiped the tears from her eyes when her laughter damped into shallow giggles and chuckles she couldn't suppressed. But her friends stared at her unimpressed. Akemi had still laughter squeezing tears out of her eyes when she flicked Kazuko's forehead. "Don't stare at me like that. Or you're ruing the joke."

"It wasn't a joke. We're serious." Kazuko muttered, rubbing her forehead as she glared at Akemi. "We just wanted to know who makes you so doe-eyed every day."

"Aren't I always doe-eyed?" Akemi said, pushing the bangs out of her eyes and taking in deep breaths to calm herself. "Do you think I should get a hair cut?"

"What makes you ask that now?" Emi rolled her eyes, falling in steps with Akemi. "You keep changing the topic whenever we asked."

Akemi only hummed and twisted a lock between her fingers, gazing at it with indecisive eyes before she let it drop and glanced at Emi and her curious eyes. Akemi shook her head. "It's not even worth talking about."

"But we still want to know what really happened between you and Ueda-san." Natsumi's lips twitching into a wry grin. "I heard he caught you cheating on him. . ."

Emi snorted and shoved her lightly away. "Do you believe everything you hear?"

Kazuko nodded. "Emi's absolutely right. They didn't break up because of that. It's because Ueda lost simply interest in her—you know, like they say fickle passion fades away after sometime. Isn't that right, Akemi?. . . hey, you're listening?"

"Hmmm?" Akemi's bright eyes were fixed at the screen, typing away on her phone as she asked, "What did you say?"

The others stood still, exchanged looks with each other before their eyes landed back on her.

"Who're you typing with?" Natsumi was first to ask.

"Is it someone we know?" Kazuko followed up, stepping closer.

"Is it the one you've been supposedly cheating with?"

"Or is it the one you're using to get over Ueda-san?"

Natsumi gasped with glee across her face, "Akemi, you? In a rebound relationship?"

"You don't believe that yourself," Emi muttered and rolled her eyes at them, but still tried to take a peek at Akemi's screen that suddenly turned black. She glanced up and saw Akemi grinning at her with an all too knowing look in her eyes.

" _You're so adamant."_ Akemi breathed out with her cheeks tinged redder than Emi ever saw before. "Doesn't that sound so cool and relaxed?"

"Erm, no?" Kazuko said and raised a brow."What would sound so cool right now would be you telling us what really happen."

"What do yo mean?" Akemi asked, raising a brow at them, stashing her phone away in her pocket. "What could have happened?"

"You. Ueda. Break up." Natsumi asked, interlinks Akemi's arms with her own. "How?"

"You don't know yet?" Akemi took a moment to blink before her lips twitched into a half-smile, letting herself be dragged to the side of the corridor and faced her friends as though she was in an open interrogation.

"We heard rumours. But we know none of them could be true." Kazuko replied earnestly and laid a hand on Akemi's arm, squeezing it lightly before she glanced at Natsumi. "Isn't that right?"

Natsumi shrugged and moved to spit her gum into trash can. "I wouldn't be sure. Because, let's face it, in this world there can't be any goody-two-shoes. And neither can Akemi be completely innocent."

Kazuko whirled her head back, her lips twitching disapprovingly at the smirk that growing on Natsumi's face. And before Kazuko could voice her displeasures, Akemi shook her head. Her smile completely unaffected as she said, "Don't worry. It's okay."

"Akemi, you're one of my closest friends so I'll be honest." Natsumi's eyes were fixed at her intently. "I think, you cheated."

"Akemi wouldn't do that!" Kazuko refuted almost immediately before she halted, thinking, and turned back to Akemi with furrowed brows and uneasy eyes. "Well, at least not to Ueda-san. . .right?"

" _Oh."_ it finally clicked in Akemi's head as she glanced at Emi, who was suddenly too busy staring holes at the ceiling, whistling random tunes under her breath. _So Emi hasn't told them yet._ Akemi gazed at the dull floor before she flickered her eyes at the two whirlwinds that still expectant answers. Answers Akemi knew she couldn't give. "I don't know what exactly you've heard but I didn't cheat."

"So. . ."

"Yep," Akemi glanced at them with mysterious twinkling eyes as she pressed her hands against the wall, nodding. "I was the one who broke up with him."

" _What?"_ there was deep disbelief written over Kazuko's face as she staggered back, leaning on a reluctant Emi for support. "How could you do that? _"_

Akemi shrugged, smiling carelessly as she said, "We were heading nowhere. It was bound to fail anyway. It's as they said, _f_ _ickle passion fades away after sometime_ , right?"

"Y-yeah, I guess so." Kazuko muffled and slowly lowered Emi's arm after she buried her face into her friend's cashmere pullover, turning to glance at Akemi sceptically. "But I thought you were happy with him."

"Well, I _was_ happy. Anybody would be of course." Akemi shrugged, knowing wholeheartedly that her reply was too airily to excuse it as indifference or disinterest—to excuse as it anything else but intentional. Akemi held back a smirk and played instead with her loose locks, twisting and turning the strands around her finger as she finished just as airily. "He _was_ such a darling."

"Akemi. . ." Emi threw a look, full of warning. Kazuko's hands clenched to fists and Natsumi gritted her teeth.

"Would you really do that just because you felt like it? Not because you've met someone else?" Natsumi asked, her eyes were clouded with such irritation Akemi had feeling she knew something—but that couldn't be. Should have had extra classes that day.

 _Or was she the one to tell, Yuji-kun?_

"If that were the case don't you think I would have said so?" Akemi started slowly, measured, without constrictions to her voice that gave her annoyance away. "Wouldn't I have said I'd broke up with him because I've met this person and not because I wanted to do so?"

Natsumi crossed her arms with her eyebrows raised high in mock disbelief. "I don't think you would have the guts to do so."

"Then I think this conversation is over."Akemi closed her eyes and threw any annoyance and disapproval that were pressing to the foremost part of her mind to the far back, pushed off the wall as she reaffirmed the grip on the strap that dug into her shoulder. "There's nothing to argue about. You apparently know myself better than I do."

"Hold it!" Emi reached out to snatch Akemi's arm, pulling her back. "You can't leave without defending yourself like that. Say, you didn't do it and be adamant about it for goodness' sake!"

"What's there to be adamant about when she already admitted that she did do it?" Kazuko mumbled. "She's not defending herself because there's nothing to be defending about."

Natsumi nodded, staring at Akemi through conflicted eyes. "Although I didn't really believe it, Ueda-san would never lie."

Akemi's mouth hung a little open and her eye brows shot up. _So, he spread it._ She knew Yuji-kun was a sore loser. But his completive streaks were to be expected since he was an avid sports fan and baseball player. _But to go to this far and say_ _that_ _I was. . . ._

Akemi closed her eyes briefly, only when she was sure to have regained her clam she spoke up. "You know I've been meeting people regularly but have I ever _cheated_ —"

"Are you accusing Ueda-san to be lying?" Kazuko intercepted with such a contempt, Akemi had to blink, bought seconds to think whether she has upset them that much, or if Kazuko and Natsumi were unofficial members of Ueda-san's fan club.

 _Well, at least that's explains why_ _they raise him to a pedestal._

Akemi shook her head, reminded herself to stay focus, to put the act up. "You should know that there's more to a relationship than attractions and appearance. But mine was built exactly on that—it was doomed to fail from get-go." _Right from the very beginning._ "That's why I broke up with him. What's wrong with that?"

Akemi rose a harmless brow, glad to find them all looking away- all except Emi whose hard stare bore holes into Akemi, almost as an attempt to see through her but all Emi received was a smile and crinkling eyes that twinkled under the glare of artificial lights.

 _Put the act up._

* * *

It soon became clear that Akemi was as tight-lipped as a tightly clasped book, only stifled laughter here and there at their one-thousand guess- at their poor attempt to extract information.

"Come on, give us at least a hint!"

But Akemi only placed a finger on her lips.

It was her secret to keep.

That was until Akemi's subtle mood took a considerable turn—when the many sighs and impatient glances at her phone weren't too hard to pick up, when the many flighty look out at the clock and out of window were too easy to trail, when the rushed assignments were handed in too early and worksheet finished too quickly, it was clear that they were just excuses for Akemi to leave class early—only actions that arose suspicion and attention. And after awhile Akemi couldn't fend them off with a wink and a raised finger anymore.

With poorly disguised boredom, Akemi dropped the spoon inside her bowl and peeked at her friends ridiculous attempt to construct a persona, completely amused at their internal dispute whether she would go for the crazy cool-hot type or the cute quiet-gentle type.

Akemi snickered. _Does Moroboshi_ _even_ _fit either criteria?_

"How about the cold quiet-mysterious type?" she asked and lowered hand she has been propping her face with, leaning closer to take a peek at the sketched figure and the swirly lines that were surrounded by notes written in indistinguishable scrawls that was undoubtedly Kazuko's hand writing.

"That type doesn't even exist." Emi replied with knitted brows. "Right?"

Natsumi and Kazuko agreed, so Akemi only hid a smile and nodded.

"If you say so. . ."

Across the hall someone watched the charade full of contempt.

Oshiro Katsu whirled to face his friend with trembling fist and increasing frustration eating away at his voice. "Can you believe it? I've punched thousands, shut them all up for bubbling those _rumours_ but look here! There's actually _someone_ she likes!"

"What? You surprised?" Koizumi Hisao mumbled, catching the ball he threw moments prior in his hand before he turned and gave him a look. "At this point, you shouldn't be too angry considering she broke up with Ueda, recently."

"That was a six weeks ago. Almost two _month._ I haven't seen her grieve _once_. Not even _cry_." Oshiro retorted and leaned further down the table, glared daggers at girls openly laughing at the other side of the canteen. What he would give to tear up that damn paper into confetti.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw Koizumi smirk at him as the threw the small baseball up in the air, a knowingly glint in his eyes. "I'm sure you haven't forgotten that she dated Ueda Yuji-san—you know that guy Kazuko-chan has been goggling at for _months_ now. Miyano-san only dated him from September to November. That's only _three_ months. Of course she isn't grieving. She wasn't even affected. Not like _Mr. Flashy Prince_ is morning over there."

Koizumi pointed his chin at Ueda and his friends, that were teasing him for still not being over Miyano-san. He shook his head and caught the ball. "Just give it up, man. Whoever Miyano-san snagged up must be quite something."

Oshiro snorted disdainfully, gave him a sour look. "You're awfully informed about that."

"What can I say? I've obnoxious connections. . ." there was hit of a smile on his lips as his eyes landed on Kazuko and her expressive facial expression as she chirped away whatever nonsenses that came into her mind. Koizumi frowned and turned to his friend, throwing the ball he caught moments prior into the air again. "Don't change the topic. We're talking about you and Miyano-san."

"Haven't change anything." Oshiro gritted out, glaring heatedly when an uneasy Ueda-san approached Akemi's table. Koizumi's eyes lingered moments too long at Kazuko, barely listening at strangled sounds erupting in his friend's throat before he turned to face his friend. Oshiro's hands were balled into fists and his face screamed bloody murder when he jumped out of his chair, ready to follow them wherever those two were going to have their private conversation.

"Hey Katsu," he called out, watching his friend glare settle on him, quietly Koizumi breathed out from his nose as he struggled for the right words, he caught the ball one more time and gripped it tightly. "Don't do anything stupid, got it?"

" _Tch!"_ Oshiro gave him a look, stuffed his hands in his pockets and stomped away. "'Course I won't!"

* * *

Oshiro Katsu made sure to stick to the shadows, rationalising his action to nothing than concern and worry for her. What could that dude even want from her still?

 _As if ruining her image wasn't enough._

A promiscuous Akemi was a crazy Akemi. But how could Akemi even be crazy without any streak of slyness and seductiveness? Oshiro always believed her to be a pure thing—something pure like _chocolate._

Chocolate without any toffee bits. Or milky crumbs. Just pure, smooth _chocolate_.

Oshiro suppressed a snarl when he saw the apologetic glint in Ueda-san's eyes—the way he reached out to grab Akemi's hand in comfort, muttering placating and soothing words, probably to patch up whatever wrong he had done her.

His heart leaped when he saw the sad glint in Akemi's eyes and wry twitches of her lips. But the beats of his heart calmed when Akemi shook her head, muttered whatever she had and bowed her head to leave.

Oshiro breathed out relieved. She wasn't taking him back. He still had a chance left.

He pumped a fist into the air and without another thought, he scampered after her, not knowing what came over him when sprinted down the corridor and gave a definite pat against Ueda-san's back. It didn't exactly matter whether it was for comfort or spite, Oshiro truly meant it when he shouted:

"It's best to give her up already, man!"

After all, it was his turn to confess.

* * *

Cool breezes wafted his skin, damping the trails of water flowing down his chest as Akai shut the door behind him, ruffled a towel over his dripping hair, wetting the marble floorboards as he swept into the dimly lit living room and father away from the bathroom. He picked up the navy shirt perched on his dark coloured couch and moved to grab his phone that lay at the edge of his small coffee table. His eyes swept past a stray but folded morning newspaper, a bottle of whiskey and a sole ash tray jammed with burnt-out stubs. He threw his phone toward his armchair that faced his floor to-ceiling-windows.

The dampened thud that followed echoed across his apartment as he slipped on his shirt, left the buttons unfastened and pushed his sleeves up, lighting up a cigarette as Akai stared at the city lights twinkling before him, long since used gazing at the bright neon colours of slogans and over-sized commercial advertisements that hung from building to building.

Akai grabbed the bottle and poured himself a glass, stole a glance at the clock. It was half past nine and shift end for Akemi, If he remembered correctly. He flexed his fingers around the glass and sat down at his armchair, grabbed his phone and scrolled through his unread messages. One was from Jodie. An invitation for a night out at a bar.

He clicked on the added picture. The angle was skewed. But he could still recognise that it was some gathering of sorts. The tables were packed, overcrowded by faces that Akai could hardly identify under the blurriness. His eyes landed on blob of grey hair that he betted belonged to none other than his superior and. . . .was that Jodie?

Akai furrowed his brows, zoomed in stretching the woman's expression into a mess of vagueness until it completely deteriorated. The picture contained only half of Jodie's face but even under the bright lights Akai could see her flushed cheeks and too wide grin that looked almost insidious. She was definitely drunk.

Akai sighed and clicked away. James was with her. The probability that Jodie would arrive home safe and sound was roughly ninety-nine percent. He flicked through his phone, finding few more from Jodie and one from James, thanking him for the report that Akai sent less than four hours ago, and another that gave the okay sign for him to progress further with his relationship with Akemi.

The recent development must have finally set him at peace. Akai knew that James wasn't particularly satisfied with his progress as of late. Although, his superior was aware of the precarious position Akai was treading at, the reports he continuously sent didn't contain any form of substance. Not to mention that the length of his reports dwindled over the months he has casually dated Akemi. But there was nothing he could do about it. Akemi was tight-lipped as a seal. A seal that has only _started_ to crack.

But Akai knew he only needed to lodge himself deeper into her heart, deep enough to access the threshold of her secrets. The day she'd burst open wasn't far from now.

Akai sipped from his drink, staring at the darkened evening sky and glittering stars before averted his gaze back to his phone. As expected there were none from Akemi. She hasn't messaged him since the last forty-eight hours.

He was aware that she was down lately, fatigued and very exhausted. But whether it was because of the demanding hours of her part-time job or the stress imposed by her approaching examinations, Akai did not particularly care. But whether her fatigue resulted from hours spent sneaking at nights, pulling triggers and hiding inside the darkness than _that_ interested him.

She kept puffing the air out of her flushed cheeks, kept beaming at him with eyes so droopy, they could fall shut any moment, kept leaning against him as though she couldn't trust herself to stand on her own pair of legs- as though she would fall down if she did.

Akai bit down at his cigarette and mulled it over, definitely sure that someone of her calibre would be ordered to attend day jobs, attaining information through disguises rather than actively working at nights. It was more of a job for _them_ than _her_.

So what could have happened to her?

Akai sipped from his drink.

Nothing came to mind.

As things stood, Akemi just had to go to bed and _catch_ that deep sleep that kept evading her at nights, or else she had to resume life with that kind of tenacity that resembled a zombie.

 _She's wearing herself down and I have no clue as to why._

With a sigh, Akai rose from his seat, gulped the remaining beverage out and quenched the burn of his cigarette against the inside of the ash tray, amidst contemplating the amount of benefits he would obtain if he were to start bugging her rooms and whether it would be worth the risk if those men from the organisation ever happened to discover them, when his phone buzzed. An incoming call.

It was from Akemi.

* * *

 **I reverted back to past tense as you probably noticed. Now I can confidently say that I'm finally done planting the foundation!**

 **Akai's and Akemi's turbulent love matter can finally begin!**

 **(Love story sounds to childish for our mature tragic hero and heroine and affair is too sexual, hence matter will do.)**

 **Ps. I'm in the middle of finishing up the heist in DBU. I'll upload all the chapters after I'm done. This will then bring us to the story arc I'd like to call the Consequence. You'll know why when you get there. Damn, just thinking about it makes my heart hurt. . .**

And don't forget!

Read and Review, not Read and Run! :D


	5. Chapter 5

**Updated 23/07/2017**

If you haven't seen it on my profile page already, **I have decided to plan the story out from scratch**. Although I have had a plan, following it has been rather difficult and I realised it was _not_ because it was badly planned but _because_ I've ignored major areas of conflict. **I'm going to up the drama starting from chapter 7.** I don't think I'll have to rewrite the earlier chapters but I might have to tweak a thing or two. But I'll inform you beforehand I'll do _if_ it comes to that.

Chapter 6 won't be published until this is done since I've the habit to be at least one chapter ahead whenever I write, and I apologise for that. (It's a strange a habit I developed over the course of last year).

But I do my best to finish the plan during this week and start writing the next. And I hope to see you again in two weeks, if not sooner.

I apologise for any inconveniences I've caused. I know how annoying this can be, but please bear with me.

* * *

 **Hellooo! Thought I give in an early update.**

 **In this chapter you'll see the first dark glimpses of Akemi's life in action. (And yes, the phone call from last chapter is the one Akemi makes in this one!)**

 **Enjoy.**

 _ **To be Chased by Dogs.**_

* * *

It was supposed to be easy. To ram into him. Get the flash drive. And then disappear.

Akemi breathed out quietly, quenched the nervousness brewing in her stomach as she glanced over at her victim. He was hunched over his laptop, furiously punching the keys, glasses dropped down to the brick of his nose and his face ridiculously glued to the screen.

He was a computer technician, had some ties to the organisation and a drive that Pisco urgently wanted. More wasn't known to her. More they didn't bother to tell her.

 _How informative,_ Akemi grumbled as she raised her cup to her mouth, sipping the hot brew as she glanced at him from the corner of her eye. He was roughly in his late forties. Had an estranged wife and kids that he had not seen for awhile. Akemi mused as he picked up yet again that picture with a smiling woman hugging her two similarly aged toddlers. He'd stare at it every ten minutes, as though to keep a cherished memory.

Or perhaps a form of motivation, Akemi thought when she caught a glimpse of determination glinting inside his eyes, and she cringed at the cries of every key, tormented by the quick strokes of his typing fingers. She had stalked him for the last two weeks now, getting used to his routine and finding out the best time to steal that drive.

And it was now.

Akemi clutched her hot tea and quietly pushed her chair back. The café was almost empty. It was only half an hour before closing time. The technician had another strange habit to avoid his home. Akemi has noted that after closing time, he would roam around the streets until he tired himself down before he'd retire for the night.

Taking in a deep breath, Akemi walked down and raised her head. Her heels clacked across the ground. The sound clear and steady. Heads snapped up at her direction for a moment and Akemi braced herself, walked steadily towards the till as she kept close to the tables. Until _his_ table came up.

 _I can do this!_

Clack. Clack. Clack. Clack. Clack— _Clump_.

Like she practiced Akemi stumbled, tripped over and fell. Her cup flew out of her hands, the hot brew splashed across his face, coloured his laptop and dampened the picture on the table. Akemi heard the chair clattered against the floor, landing centimetres away form her nose and she rushed on to her feet, spluttered apologies as the technician hollered in pain, she reached out to grab him and pushed his hands away from his burned face, but he pushed her back with force she didn't expect him to have. She hit the table.

It fell.

She fell.

The waitresses hovered over the man, spewing inquires after inquires as Akemi lay forgotten on the ground, grumbled curses at the hurt spreading across her body as she rolled over to her stomach, looking for his laptop that she found squished under the table. The drive was poking out underneath it. Akemi grabbed the rim of the table, pushing herself as she seized the drive that dislodged itself during the fall.

She turned around. The man was glaring at her, spewing out colourful curses as the waitress pressed a wet cloth against his face. The manger stomped over to her, lashed at her and impetuous behaviour. Akemi could feel the shame crawl up on her cheeks as she avoided his gaze and stared at the ground. Distasteful stares were directed at her from the staff and costumers just for a little stumble. They ignored her reasoning, demanded for her contact number and sent her of with a permanent ban and a fine she had to pay as soon as possible.

Akemi opened the door and slammed it shut, droning out the last mean swears as she turned to leave, huffing under her breath. It turned out worse than she has anticipated but at least she got the job done.

 _Now I only need to give it to him._

Pisco should be waiting for her at the hotel. On the phone earlier, he had been rather demanding and aggravating, urging her to meet him at ten with the occasional threats thrown down her throat which she knew he would carry out whenever he felt displeased.

Akemi blew the air out of her cheeks and quickened her pace. After that she could finally focus on the morning paper she had yet to finish, assignments due for the week that were still crammed inside her bag and a group presentation she was coerced to fix.

She glanced at the watch strapped around her wrist before she tightened her gloves and pulled her scarf over nose, hurrying towards the nearest station, keen on leaving the area and the last fifteen minutes as nothing but a hellish nightmare that she never experienced.

But at least it was over.

Akemi rounded a corner, stalked across another empty sidewalk. The street was aligned with bright lamp lights and a sparse amount of cars were parked along the road, but next to her was nothing but a dirtied wall that surrounded an aged park with overshadowing trees and bushes that were only scaring little children these days.

Like always the streets were deserted.

Akemi breathed out and adjusted the strap of her small bag. Her black boots clacked across the ground, droning out the deafening silence until another set footsteps thumped on the ground, right behind her.

Akemi glanced over her shoulder, wondered whether that technician was running after her, snarling at her to return his flash drive with curses dripping from his tongue like a salivating dog. But there was no-one behind her.

She was alone on the road.

Akemi pressed a feeble hand over her eyes, blamed it on her sleep deprivation that wrecked havoc with her imagination—at least that was what she thought until she heard several footsteps stomping across the ground.

Alarmed, she whirled around, squinted her eyes to look for any approaching figures but the sidewalk was, in fact, empty. She frowned at the dark, but dug her face deeper into her scarf and kept walking, even as the footsteps grew louder with each step she took.

Akemi glanced uneasily behind her. Somewhere, someone was whistling. Goosebumps rippled up her arms and her lower back. She hurried, crossed several streets and rounded a corner until she broke into a wild run, cursed herself for wearing five inch heels when she stumbled, hit the ground and grazed her hands and knees, cursed herself for wearing a skirt.

 _I should have worn my trainers._

 _My jeans and my trainers._

Akemi reared her head back and her heart sped up. Snickers reverberated within the dark. But the sidewalk still looked so _empty_. Akemi glared despite the tears glittering in her eyes, and with quick fingers she unravelled the laces and slipped off her boots, hefted them under her arms as she scampered on her feet and bolted away as fast as she could, overwhelmed with relief that her ankle didn't sprain even from her second fall.

But footsteps thundered right after her.

Her eyes burned. Her side ached. Her socks were scraped and dirtied and hard stones and scattered pebbles dug into the bottom of her feet but Akemi only bit her lips and kept running for the fear of her life when she heard rubber squeaking and a slashing sound like that of a leash.

This was too much for a joke. Too much for a little scare. This couldn't be a simple payback. Yuji-kun's fans couldn't have arranged this. Akemi's mind raced. Where those thugs hired? It couldn't be _Pisco_ , could it?

 _No!_ _He wouldn't do_ _anything like this!_

Akemi shook her head and her hair whirled about and she cursed herself yet again for not tying them up, still frantically running down the block and down the stairs, swerving to the right and ran _down down down_ the road until she saw the park's entrance, without thinking Akemi headed towards it, thrusted the door opened and dashed behind the overshadowing trees where she ducked down and crawled behind the bushes, clutched her black boots against her chest, clammed a hand over mouth and felt the staining wetness on her face as she muffled clamping hiccups inside her throat.

Near her a twig snapped in two.

Akemi suppressed a whimper.

Crunching leaves and curses fluctuated in the air.

But Akemi kept still. Kept her head ducked low. Kept her gaze below the bushes.

A pair of boots stomped towards her.

Another snicker.

"Hiding now, are we?"

Akemi drew back, made a mad dash after she hurled her boots at him. Blood pumping through her ears, almost muffling the grunts and shouts and curses and several footsteps chasing after her. But Akemi knew now; they were men whose voices she didn't recognise. Men, she didn't know.

 _What do you they want from me!?_

Akemi climbed over the railing. Someone grabbed her leg. Towed her back. She gripped the rattling metal tight, gritted her teeth as she yanked her foot back and kicked him. Something cracked underneath her foot. But the man cried and let go. Akemi hurled her body over and jumped. Didn't land on her feet but on her stomach. Had the breath knocked of her for seconds, enough for her to glance around and notice that she was back on the streets. But a street she didn't know. Didn't recognised.

But she didn't care. She only wanted to get away. Get away from here. Get away from _them_. She scampered to her feet but fell back down.

 _Noway noway noway_ _noway_ _!_

Akemi muffled a cry and crawled onto her feet, eased the weight from her ankle and pushed the pain away from her mind as she limped behind the nearest car, prayed against all odds that they didn't see her. Wouldn't find her. Wouldn't look behind the car.

Heavy footsteps thumped against the hard concrete, one after the other, and Akemi shut her eyes tight, drew her legs closer, counted—one, two, three, _four._ She flashed her eyes open and halted her breath. Her hands trembled on her shaking knees.

They were _four_.

Akemi pressed her hands against her mouth, close to hyperventilate, close to completely freak out when thundering footsteps were nearing her again.

 _What should I do what should I do what should I—_

The sound faded. Thundering footstep rumbled far into the distance. Akemi waited, sat quietly even as it completely stilled, wondering whether someone stayed behind. Whether someone was looking over the car right now.

Akemi turned slowly, the black sky was the only thing that greeted her beside the treacherous sidewalk. It was as empty as it was before. Akemi crouched back down. Scared that they were still around. Able to see her when she couldn't see them.

Akemi grabbed her bag and opened it as quietly as she could, just in case they were still close- just in case they could hear her. She fished out her phone and called the only number she could think of—the only number she could rely on.

He answered the call at the second ring.

"Could you. . .pick me up, please?" Akemi croaked with her voice as hoarse as it was breathless, not much louder than a whisper. "I-I got lost."

There was a short silence and for a moment Akemi wondered whether he was searching for the right words to decline her, wondered whether she had to stay hidden behind the car until morning came.

" _ **Can you give me an idea where you are?"**_

"Wait. . ." she canted her head back and forth, looked for a street sign she couldn't find until she remembered the aged park behind her. "Somewhere near an old park. Close to the central bus station in Chiba, I think. I don't know exactly. It's dark. I can't see much."

She heard shuffles at the other end of the line, a door open and close and not long after a motor started up.

" **Stay where you are. I'll look for you."**

"Okay."

The call ended and Akemi shivered, busied herself to pull out the tangled leaves stuck in her hair. She straightened out her blouse that was now tattered and stained with dirt. Her hands brushed against her pocket and felt a bump underneath it.

 _The flash drive._

It was past ten o'clock, dark and cold.

Akemi pulled her legs up, tucked it under his chin as she blew her strands away from her face, stared straight ahead, across the road, passed the pebbles at a blank wall that glared right back at her. Already aware that Pisco was probably throwing a fit by now, cursing heavens at her whilst he storms into her condominium, trashes her things in raw anger at her _disobedience_ , having failed to answer to her _master._

 _Really, treating me like a bloody dog on a leash._

Akemi snorted, tightened the grip on her jacket as she looked away, banned the geezer from her thoughts and pressed her legs even closer at her chest, warming herself from the increasing cold that seeped into her ripped socks and the edges of the skirt. Akemi looked around and bit her bottom lip when she still couldn't find a sight of him.

 _Maybe I have enough time to. . ._

Akemi glanced around before she moved onto her fours, shifted closer to the wing mirror of the car and inspected her face- apart from her dishevelled hair, nothing was suspicious about her. Except her clothes.

Her wrinkled blouse was stained with soil. It peeked out of her open jacket that reeked of grass and was dirtied with filth that Akemi couldn't even recognise. She sipped it close and hid her blouse from sight.

 _Now, I just look like I spent a day in a forest._

Akemi sighed and smoothed down the rough edges of her skirt, promised herself that a bath was the first thing she'd take when she stepped home. The brunette peeked around the car before she rose from the ground and the hurt digging into the soles of her feet.

Her eyes fell onto the metal fence that barred the park and she summed up her courage, dispelled any form of second thoughts. Akemi reached out, grabbed the bars and heaved herself up despite the hurt crawling up on her body.

There wasn't much time. He could be coming any time now.

Akemi draped her arms over the sturdy metal, held on to it tight as her eyes roamed over the huddling bushes and oversized tree leaves, looking for a pair of boots that she couldn't find. Akemi frowned and propped a leg against the metal, pushed herself up enough to swing herself over the fence but when she glanced down, dread rose inside her.

 _Where's the ground?_

She stretched her head, tried to discern the abyss of darkness staring at her. Her heart faltered, knowing already that she would fall for the umpteenth time, and perhaps twist more than just an ankle. Akemi gulped but shifted, readied herself to swing her other leg over when she realised it wouldn't follow. It was frozen, stiffened and sacred.

 _Oh come on!_

 _You jumped it down before, Akemi!_ _You can do it again!_

 _Of course, it_ _wi_ _ll_ _hurt. . .but not that much!_

 _You can handle this!_

Akemi tried to pushed her leg up. It stuck onto the fence like glue. She couldn't trust herself to jump. She chewed on her lip as she risked a glance at her feet—at her ripped socks, her twisted ankle and the road stretched out behind her.

 _I can't go home like this!_

She steeled her courage and slowly raised her leg, adjusted her grip over the fence as she sat top of it.

 _I only need to grab my boots, put them back on and act like nothing happened._

Like she had never fallen. Never been chased. Never been hurt.

The brunette took a deep breath and dangled herself down. Her feet didn't even reach the floor but that was to be expected, but the fact that her hands clung onto the metal like steel claws, was not.

"Oh for the love of. . ." Akemi muttered as her hands clutched tighter on the fence until her grip eased when the throbbing pain on her hands added up. She rose her twisted ankle as her hands finally let go, wondering whether she could even land on one foot when she collided yet again on the floor, pain seared on her foot and Akemi held her breath, waited for the pain to subside.

She pushed passed the bushes and arrived at a dimly lit clearing that she hasn't seen before. For a moment Akemi wondered whether she had gotten lost already, but she threw the thought away when she stashed her hand into her bag.

The torchlight on her phone wasn't particularly bright but enough for her to spot her a black five inch boot discarded on the ground. Akemi limped towards it and thanked heavens when she found her other pair quite next to it.

 _Now, I only need to head back and—_

A scream was stuck in her throat. Her heart stopped beating when someone grabbed her arm and yanked her back, pressed something cold against her neck.

 _A knife!?_

Without thinking, Akemi adjusted her grip on her shoe, flexed the pointy edge of her heel and stabbed him.

Within a matter of moments the man lay on the floor, grunting in pain, clutching his private area. Akemi wasted no time to grab the fallen knife on the ground and hurtled it at the weltering dark that hid behind the clearing before she drew back, knew it was futile to run with her bad foot but she still tried her best to limp away as fast as she could, retreating back into this forest was more than a grave mistake.

She should have stayed behind the car- should have limped away to safety with her twisted ankle than navigate through an aged park with possible murderers hot on her heels.

Akemi wedged herself passed the bushes and shrubs, zoomed towards the entrance and powered-limped down the road. Mud was strewn across her clothes, on her feet and her face. Leaves and twigs tangled up inside her hair and hid inside the folds of her pockets.

She knew she looked like a scarecrow that has been picked up from the ground after years of rest, but at this point Akemi simply did not not care. Moroboshi could find her even with a bird's nest perched on top of her head and she would only snub at him in response.

 _I can't be bothered with this any more!_

Akemi headed down the road with only one thought running across her head.

 _I wanna go home._

She sighed and pressed a hand over her eyes, wondered how a day could turn out so bad when a hand grabbed her elbow. Akemi tightened the grip on her shoes when she whirled her around but breathed out relieved when she saw a familiar pair of smoky green eyes that racked over her face, her muddied jacket, ripped sockets and boots that were clenched against her chest.

Akemi looked away, stared at the floor as she hid away from Moroboshi's hard scrutiny until he relented his grip and a took a step back. His voice quiet under the soft drifting winds and chirps of unseen owls that were covered by the night. Akemi raised her head slowly and her heart slammed against her ribcage. She clenched her grip on her boots, ready to justify her unpleasant appearance when—

"What?" Akemi blinked and turned to around to properly face him. "What did you say?"

"I asked you, if you were chased by a dog." Moroboshi spoke slowly. His eyes were sharp and clear, yet something else lurked under the haze of his green eyes but before Akemi could recognise it, it disappeared.

"Are you mocking me?" Akemi asked as she thrusted her chin up, would have stepped on her toes to tower over him hadn't it been for her twisted ankle. Akemi opened her mouth, about to jab her index finger at his chest when Moroboshi stepped closer to her, brushed a hand against her cheek and drove his fingers through her hair. Akemi kept still, clammed her mouth shut, wondered what to tell him when he glided the twigs and leaves out of her hair.

Moroboshi wasn't looking at her- wasn't inquiring as to what happened to her. Akemi glanced up, noticed that one of his hands was stuffed inside his pockets of his black jeans. He only wore navy shirt, its sleeves pushed up against his arms, the buttons unfastened around his collar. But what she noticed the most was the lack of goosebumps rippling up across his arms. He wasn't freezing.

Akemi glanced up. His stern glare has softened into a complacent look and his lips twitched into a half-smile as his fingers swept through her dark locks. He didn't look cold at all. Even though he should be. Even as Akemi was sheltered under her jacket, gloves and shawl, the cold still invaded her warmth and froze her with all its touches.

Akemi took a deep breath and steeled her nerves, dropped her boots to the ground before she brushed her fingers against his shirt, closed the buttons in succession. She felt the burn of his stare raise her hair on ends but she ignored them and smoothed out the small wrinkles on his shirt.

"It's freezing cold and here you are; walking like this." she muttered as her fingers returned to her own neck, gripped the soft silk of her under her finger tips and unravelled it from her neck. It was the least bit dirty, stained with light traces of something that seemed to be greenery.

"Here you can take my shawl. I'm sure you don't mind white, do you?" she asked, reaching up to wrap it around his neck when Moroboshi grabbed her fidgeting hands and pulled her closer to his chest, wrapping his arms around her. Akemi's pulse flared, her breath faltered and the grip on shawl slackened. Quietly, his voice breathed into her ear and Akemi tried to suppress the goosebumps rippling down her lower back.

"It seems that the dog has returned to bite you."

"I hope you're joking." Akemi pressed her nose against the softness of his shirt. He was so warm. She sighed and closed her eyes, propped her chin on his shoulder, canted her head to look at him. His lips twitched into an awry smile that didn't even come close to melt that cold and calculative look in his eyes. Akemi raised her head and blinked before she looked behind her. "What dog. . .are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about that ferocious dog that has come to hunt you." Moroboshi said as he tipped his head at the other side of the road. Akemi followed his gaze and her heart almost froze within her chest.

 _Oh no. . ._

There they were again. Two this time. One held a tissue compressed to his nose, the other walked kept looking around, possibly on lookout for her. Akemi swallowed, tightened her grip on his upper arm as she bent down and slipped into her boots with more difficulty than initially expected. She grimaced but refused to hiss in pain when she stood up, surprised to noticed that Moroboshi wasn't looking at her even though he was facing her.

"Do you they want something from you?"

"Of course not," Akemi mumbled and tugged his arm, steering him away as she hobbled down the road. "What could strangers possibly want from me?"

"Not sure. But based on what I can see, they are pointing at you," he replied and stuffed his hands inside his pockets. "Why would that be?"

"I wouldn't know," Akemi kept her eyes fixed a head and tried to ignore the incessant burn of his gaze. The heat crawled onto her cheeks as the wind flapped against her face. "They might be mistaking me for someone."

Moroboshi hummed, threw a contemplative glance over his shoulder before his footsteps ceased to crunch under the tiny pebbles stuck on the side walk and he tugged her back, nodding his head to the bulking men that were thundering down the pathway. "If that's so, then it won't hurt to clear this misconception, will it?"

Akemi's eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped open. "You want to _talk_ to them? Did you even take a proper look at them?" she shook her head, tightened her hand on his arm, tried her best to pull him along with her. "They don't look like the diplomatic type, you know? Once you're close enough, they'll ram a knife at you or hold a pistol at your temple. They don't think, they just do things. _Horrible_ things."

Moroboshi rose an eyebrow but gave in to the incessant tugs of her arm and trailed behind her even as he kept a secret eye on them. Akemi only rolled her eyes, struggled to move her foot under the sharp stabs of pain, masked the winces on her face even as Moroboshi moved her hand away from his arm and drew his arm around her waist, balanced her weight enough for the pain to ebb away.

Akemi gave him grateful look before she moved her eyes to stare over his shoulder. They were still nearing them but kept their distance at the same time, as if stalking a prey from a far. Akemi bit her bottom lip. The flash drive in her pocket felt heavier with each haltering step, and for a moment she wondered whether those two would chase it like wild dogs if she were to hurtle it at the other side of the street.

 _. . . .But Pisco would kill me for that._

Akemi sighed but almost screamed when a hand flew over a mouth and another yanked her into a darkened corner of the street. She pulled back and was about to trash when her nose caught a whiff of sandalwood and hidden spices. She relaxed and canted back her head to see a pair of smoky olive eyes full of raw amusement. Akemi frowned and ducked her head, even as she liked seeing the awry twitch of his lips.

"Come on—this way."

Akemi didn't know where this way was—the road split into a weltering darkness without a glimmer of lamplight rowed at the street sides. She glanced at him in rising confusion when he slipped his arm away from her and steered her towards the end of the sidewalk towards a darkly clad vehicle.

She swallowed and glanced around.

 _Am I inside a turf of gangsters?_

Moroboshi only snorted.

Akemi frowned and sent him a glare, before she crooked her head back, grew increasingly bewildered at the serious glint inside his eyes.

"I'll be right back," was all he said when he grabbed her hand and place a set of keys on her palm, casually motioning toward the Chevrolet Silverado whilst she was momentarily stupefied. But before he could disappear Akemi willed herself out of her stupor and latched onto his sleeve, pulled him right back with force she didn't know she had.

"Where exactly are you going?"

His lips twitched into a small smirk as his hand moved to slide her hand away from his arm. He squeezed it and gave her sly look. "Not far from here. I'm just going to mute some annoying barks."

The words sank in but the realisation came seconds after—in fact, _seconds_ toolate _._ Moroboshi disappeared behind the fog of darkness, long before Akemi was ready to voice her suspicions and objections.

Long before, Akemi could ask how Moroboshi knew she had been chased by _dogs_.

* * *

 _And don't forget! **R &R!**_

 ** _Read and Review, not Read and Run! :D_**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hellloooo! Early update!**

 **But that's only because I felt restless! Next chapter will hopefully be next week. Here's a small teaser:** In which Akemi regrets dating Akai. . .

 **Wonder what could have happened! xD Maybe that's the sound of a breakup? I guess, only time will tell!** (and my updates)

 **P.S** Who else thinks the relationship between Akemi and Akai should be more. . . .intimate?

Please let me know.

 **Do enjoy!**

* * *

Cold wind brushed her skin, breathed upon her face, lulling along the steady rumbling motor that grumbled into the distance. Akemi fluttered her eyes open, noted the faint lights of red and green glittering within pitch blackness, stripes of bright twinkling yellow rowed almost everywhere into an unending line. The highway, she realised and closed her eyes, back to reaching dream land when her eyes snapped wide open.

 _ _T__ _ _he highway!?__

Shallow laughter echoed next to her and she pried her eyes away form the window, fixed her eyes instead on tanned skin and smoky eyes that stared amusedly at her. "Finally woken up?"

Akemi didn't answer, drove her fingers over face searching for drool or any oddities that befall on her during her sleep. Her fingers roamed through her hair, noticed the grease and the grime. Her nose wrinkled as she remembered her sprint across the park and through the streets and even Moroboshi's quick flight from the scene. Akemi yawned and stretched, popped her slim muscles as she recalled to have waited in his car until she fell asleep.

The brunette glanced at him, noticed his calm composure,the slight taps on the steering wheel and the impatient furrow of his eyebrows. Curiously she looked at the speedometer before she returned her gaze to his furrowed brows and chuted further down on the seat, tightened her grip on the seat belt and gave him the okay sign. "Go on. I'm ready."

For a fraction of a second his eyes diverted from the road to glance at her, noticed that her eyes were firmly fixed on the compacted road, full of slow driven cars and animated honks before she turned her head to return his stare with an encouraging smile."I'm not going to scream. I can handle this kind of stuff."

His lips twitched into a fully curved smirk that sent tingles tumbling in her stomach. "I'll warn you now. I'm not going to stop."

He shifted the gears, steered the wheel out of the lane into the ensuing road of chaos. Akemi shut her eyes,sank deeper into the confines of the seat, listened to the screeches of tires and blares of honking cars. The wind pressed against her skin, wafted through her hair and slowly she dared to open her eyes, stared first at her lap then rose her eyes to meet the speedometer. Her heart slammed against the ribcage in mere confusion. She watched the handles recede from 70 km/h all the way down to 40.

They were out of the high way curving into the quiet streets of the city. She glanced at her watch. It was twenty past eleven and she had absolutely no clue how they managed to shorten an hour bus drive to roughly twenty minutes—and even with Moroboshi crazy driving it shouldn't have been possible unless they took some short cut she didn't know about. But that wasn't important right now.

Akemi shifted in her seat, loosened her grip on the seat belt enough to lean forward. Based on her appearance she already could guess that she looked chased, potentially by dogs,but did he really believed its literal sense, or did he intend any metaphorical implication by saying that?Akemi chewed her bottom lips as she mulled it over thoughtfully until a pair of fingers flicked her head, snapping any conjured theories apart.

"Your brain will overheat if you keep this up."

She frowned, tried to swat his hand away that already fell on the gear and blew the air out of her cheeks. He was right, thinking about it black and blue wouldn't get her anywhere. A bubble of what ifs and speculations would only float so high until it burst against the vitality of the air and reality. She sighed, leaned her head on the window as she sank into her seat, worn and weary from adrenaline and mental integrity.

 _ _Better to just ask.__

"So?" she reared her head and rose a delicate brow. "How did you know I was chased?"

Moroboshi glanced at her for a moment, humming under his breath as though he was considering her question despite its obvious blatantness. "I didn't. I just guessed," he looked at her. "Any idea why they would be after you?"

Akemi shook her head, shrugged her shoulders as she gave him a small smile. "Maybe, they _did_ mistake me for someone else."

"Possibly," Moroboshi agreed although he doubted it. Those two, even with their lack of expertise were dangerous enough to render her hors de combat, if not completely murder her, which quite stumped him. If what he read upon her was true then Akemi was neither essential nor withheld any crucial information that made her anywhere valuable. To the organisation she should have been expendable. But not to the extent for someone to hire a bunch flaming testosterones after her. That was unless—

"You must have feared for your life." Moroboshi muttered, kept her in his peripheral vision whilst his eyes were fixed on the road. "To be running roughly twenty-five miles all of a sudden, in less than an hour even. I'm amazed." he ended with a short whistle, practically hearing the gears churning in her brain and the amplifying dread riding in the realisation that she could have never run from her workplace to where he found her in less than an hour.

"About that," she chewed on her lips and evaded his eyes. "I had the day off so I spent it looking around. . .shops."

"Right, shopping at night. All the way at Chiba." Moroboshi nodded as though it explained everything—although to him it did. He already figured out that she was running on an errand for them. He glanced at her. "Must have been fun."

"What's wrong with wandering around?" Akemi reared her head as she frowned, her cheeks aflame. "I just didn't want to go home. There's nothing wrong with doing that."

"I've never said there was," he retorted and flicked her forehead. "Really, you've been like an explosive fuse lately. Don't take everything personal."

"I know." she mumbled as she rubbed a hand over her forehead and looked away, gazed out of the window and realised she didn't know the scenery. "Where are we, anyway?

"Thirty minutes away from your place."

Thirty? She blinked and canted her head back at him. "Did you take a detour?"

"No. I took six," he said as he kept his eyes on the road. "Thought I'd let you sleep before I take you home."

Akemi was captured between the lines of gratefulness and embarrassment and she wondered whether she snorted or made strange sounds whilst she slept. She clasped her hand over her face and moaned. "How long did I sleep?"

"Almost an hour?" he laughed at the strangled sounds erupting from her throat before he ruffled her hair with his palm. "It wasn't that bad," she was aghast but he held his hand up, he could already tell what was on her mind. "No, you didn't snore. You slept like a stone. If I didn't know better I'd say you were momentarily dead."

"You didn't have to be so blunt." Akemi muttered as she rubbed her chest although his words have pierced her heart. But he only laughed quietly until she rose her head, cheeks redder than he ever saw before, almost purple. "Thanks for driving me all this way but. . .I can't go home now," she glanced away, fiddled with strap of her bag. "Not yet, anyway."

Moroboshi waited. But she didn't elaborated, only stared at her lap as she refused to meet his questioning eyes so he rose an eyebrow. "Are you scared to go home?"

"I'm not scared." she whipped her head at him, clutched her bag tighter tighter as she glared through alarming eyes. "I'm really not scared. Not by something like this."

 _ _Something like what?__ He wanted to ask, wanted to enquire whatever else happened to her but he knew he couldn't do that without appearing the slightest intrusive and suspicious. He sighed and glanced at her. "Alright then. I'll drop you off. Where would you like to go?"

"Where could I go?" she mumbled, and he noticed the tiny shivers running down her spine and the rising unease on her face. "It's almost midnight. The only opened places around here would be a bar, if not some shady drug stores."

"I could always drive you home." Moroboshi suggested with a raised eyebrow. "Or do you prefer to walk home?"

"This isn't funny," she pushed her hair out of her face and gave him a stern look. "I told you, I can't go home. Not now. Not when I've kept that geezer waiting for—" her eyes widened and clammed her mouth shut, sent him an alarming pair of eyes that pleaded him not to ask. But Moroboshi knew already that she wouldn't tell him even if he asked. But he also knew that she would spill it without his interference.

"Well, if you cannot go home then I might as well let you stay over."

Akemi was momentarily silenced. She risked a glance at him. The darkness inside the car only illuminate the stark greenness in his eyes, accentuated the serenity on his expression and the fold of calmness when he glanced at her, an amicable eyebrow rose in question, quite harmlessly and her face reddened, the intensity equivocal to a flaming tomato, ashamed for thinking that he would have ulterior motifs as she hit her forehand with an open palm, sunk back on her seat and sent him an apologetic smile. "If you would be so kind."

Long since used to her frequent odd behaviour, Moroboshi only nodded and steered the wheel, squeaking tyres echoed through the silent night but Akemi could only feel the fast beats of her heart and the hot burning of her ears.

* * *

She stepped out of his Chevrolet slowly, amply balanced her weight as she trod carefully behind him, masked the pain away from her face and hid her hesitated steps and haltering breaths, pretty sure that Moroboshi wouldn't notice, or so she had thought.

Akemi glanced at the hand clenching hers with exceptionally warm cheeks and squeezed a little tighter, ducked her head when his eyebrows arched, expectant eyes landed on her almost patronising and she hadn't the courage to glare back, overwhelmed with the silliness and fatigue that flooded her and carried her mind away into an abyss of nonsensical thinking.

She glanced up. His expressionless dark eyes were as empty, void of the usual amusement twinkling inside them and she pursed her lips thinking of it. He glanced at her and she looked away, stared at the ground eaten away by the slow footsteps of her feet and wished for her scarf to hide her face within but her trusty friend was loosely wrapped around his neck.

A small smile widened on her lips and she looked up, he was staring right ahead but she felt the pressure on her hand amplify as he was squeezing back. He helped her up the small steps laid out in front of his apartment complex, pressed the button on the elevator as she held onto his arm, burrowed her face into the confines of his neck as she took in the warm wood spices embracing the breadth of skin and shook herself awake when the elevator pinged, struggling inside the automatic square, half awake; half asleep and not entirely sure when Moroboshi flipped the lights on and laid her on the couch and disappeared.

Her eyes blinked opened, the bright light burning her eyelids with its glare as she glanced

around the room with sleepy eyes, noticed a newspaper and an ash try packed stubs on the coffee table and wrinkled her nose at the quantity, hazily wondering whether Moroboshi was a chain smoker or particularly stressed during the recent days as the floor to-ceiling-windows stole her attention and she glanced with tired amazement at the neon grazed slogans and massive advertisements lingering in the darkened distance.

Slowly she sat up, noticed the sparsity of furniture and hollow emptiness within the room. She was once told a boy's home was like a pig stall, but whoever told her that had obviously never met someone like Moroboshi. The living room was surprisingly clean, impeccable if you'd look away from the stuffy ashtray, but it also emanated an air of nonexistent utility- in fact his sparse belongings rather appeared to be form of decoration, a means to fill up the empty spaces inside his apartment. Her face soften, the shine in her amber eyes dampened, lingering on the overfilled ashtray and the emptied rock glass perched on the table, the only proofs that he inhabited this place.

She heard the soft pads of footstep echoing through the halls and sat up a little straighter, canted her head back to see Moroboshi walking into the room with fresh towels and a bundle of clothes he pressed onto her hands and directed her toward the bathroom, offhandedly mentioning the whereabouts of the first-aid kit as he pointed at the closet above the toilet seat before he shut the door and left her to her own devices.

Akemi sighed and stretched, felt her muscles pop as she shook the weariness off as she stepped under the shower, relaxed under the steamy water, rubbed the grime away from hair for full twenty minutes before she stepped out and tended to the scratches on her feet, bandaged her twisted ankle and threw her ripped socks into the bin. She caught her reflection on the mirror, stared at the bruises on her neck as she muttered annoyances at the fact that it hadn't healed yet. It been two weeks already. Sometimes Akemi really hated the physicality of Pisco and his short temper, because how was she going to cover this up without her make up supplies?

She banged her head against the mirror, grumbled her frustration as she grabbed the clothes Moroboshi had kindly prepared for her. The tee shirt fell short, stopped barely at her knees and she would have been extremely embarrassed hadn't been for the zipped up sweatshirt that _did_ reach her knees. She breathed out, held a hand against her forehead and counted to ten, brushed the hair away from her face and tucked loose strands behind her ears. She grabbed her dirty clothes and left the bathroom, looked for the laundry room that Moroboshi showed her in passing and stuffed her clothes inside the wash-machine, fiddled with the buttons until she turned it on at last.

She breathed out and stretched. Tired. Weary. Warm. Cosy. She could sleep right there and then, or at least she thought so until her stomach grumbled loudly. Quiet laughter sounded from behind her. She whirled around, surprised to see him leaning against the door frame with a cool look on his face. Akemi turned to face him fully. He was wearing a white undershirt and black sweatpants hanging loosely on his waist. His arms crossed over his chest, his piercing green eyes staring at her.

"That's really unfortunate," he drawled as his lips curved into a half smile, almost apologetic hadn't it been for the traceable amusement hidden inside his calm eyes. "The shops are closed and my fridge completely empty."

Akemi swallowed, fiddled with the zip at her neck as she averted her eyes. "It's okay. I don't eat after five o'clock anyway. I'm on something like a diet." There was this careless smile on her lips again and she neared him, standing directly in front of him, the sweatshirt hugged her body like a loosened dress and her amber eyes were fixed on him, its colour deep and warm, her voice teetering softly as though hurt, "Do you hate it?"

Silently his eyes racked over her slender form, took in the frailty of her shoulder and the lack of flesh and fat hanging on her tight skin. Sceptical green eyes met dubious amber and nothing else needed to be said.

She broke into a little fit of laughter, quiet and hazy as she slowly rested her head against his collarbone, small vibration falling from her fragile shoulders with each soft inhalation of air, her arms circled around his waist and he took the faintest whiff of cinnamon over the underlying warmth of sweet vanilla emanating from her dark locks rather than the usual floral scent of flowers he grew accustomed to associate with her. He listened to her fading laughter until it vanished into the stillness, replaced by the steady sound of her mellifluous voice that cut through the quiet as sorrowful and beautiful as a nightingale's. "What should we do?"

"You should sleep."

She raised her head and rested it on his shoulder, her slender fingers tightened on his shirt and he moved to wrap an arm around her, tried to shift her weight enough for her to lean on him and face him at the same time but she didn't let it happened, pressed against him instead, immovable as a stone as she hid her face away from him. "I don't want to sleep."

"But you look like you need it," he muttered as he pulled her back, a little surprised that Akemi changed from hard immovability to the weightlessness as she fell listlessly into his hands. He moved a dried lock away from her face, stared at her amber eyes that twinkled under the artificial fluorescent lights. Her face was expressionless, apathetic and he suspected that she was too hurt and confused to display her turbulent emotions on her face.

He heaved a sigh and moved to grab her arm, slowly steered her out of the room into the guest room. He didn't flick on the light but she found he didn't need to, the bare outline of the bed were recognisable as she followed him further inside the bedroom and laid down on the bed despite her earlier protests, out like a light the moment her head hit the pillow and Moroboshi only stifled a laugh as he covered her up and closed the curtains, wondered how many words he could use to sum up the day and the possible reactions of James if he were to find that he yet again hasn't made any progress.

 _Well, it can't be helped._

He felt his lips twitched into a smile all on its own as his eyes landed on the sleeping beauty on the bed- so still and unresponsive more like a corpse than a stone. She was a handful in her own way but she was slipping, loosening, unravelling all on her own. He just needed to wait.

And wait he did.

Patiently.

* * *

Akemi woke up disoriented and slightly confused until memories from last night flooded her brain and she sat up, looked for a clock that wasn't inside the room. And her phone lay still forgotten in her bag. Grumbling, the brunette crawled out of the bed, slowly walked out of the room. Although the pain receded over the night, she wasn't ready to risk worsening its condition by pure carelessness. She couldn't hang on Moroboshi like leech, depending on him; leaning on him for support whenever. The organisation would surely notice and question her about him.

 _I can't drag him into this._

Akemi poke her head inside the living room. It was empty. Her bag lay still on the couch. She rummaged through it and found the flash drive. It was still safe. She breathed out relieved and turned to her phone. It read 08:45 am and showed zero messages. She knew what this meant. Knew what their silence meant. But the brunette didn't particularly care as she threw the flash drive into her bag. It wasn't her fault to begin with. One delayed delivery wasn't going to kill him. Although Pisco did say _immediately_ Akemi was sure he can wait till evening, or even the next day.

 _He has been waiting more than a week already._

She got up and wandered into the kitchen, wondering whether she should cook a warm

breakfast as thanks when a quiet laugh bubbled from her lips at the absurdity of his fridge. It was indeed empty. In the literal sense, _empty_. He wasn't lying the night before. She limped back toward the living room, grabbed her bag and fished out her purse as she hoped to find enough to buy some groceries when her phone vibrated.

A phone call.

Dread rose from her stomach and she prayed to whatever deity there was that it wasn't _them_. She risked a glance at the screen.

 _Shiho._

"Hello dear, how have you been?" Akemi smiled, cradled the phone next to her ear as she turned up the brightness in her voice and drone the tiredness seeping into her vocal tones. "Are you sleeping fine? Eating well? What about—"

" _You haven't forgotten, have you?"_

The brunette halted, took a moment to think, sorting through her hazy mind that was still awakening from its sleep, shifted the gears in her mind when it finally clicked. "No, I haven't although I almost did," she rubbed a hand against her temple and closed her eyes. "So much happened lately. It left my mind completely. Sorry about that."

" _So much, huh? I bet you only met that spineless airhead—you know, that baseball freak."_

"Oh, Yuji-kun? I'm not seeing him anymore." Akemi answered absent-mindedly as she peeked out into the hall. The door to his bedroom was closed. Moroboshi still seemed to be sleeping. She lowered her voice. "There's this other person I'm interested in. I think, I mentioned him before. Do you remember?"

" _That pushover who're continued to meet you even though you ran him over?_

Technically, she was right but. . ."I wouldn't call him a push over and no, there isn't really a description that fits him. I tried to think of some and the only one I came up with is the cold quiet-mysterious type."

" _Oh, you could have just said he's a masochist. Does he have any weird, morbid tendencies?"_

"You shouldn't stigmatise people like that," her lips twitched into a smile and her eyes brightened when an idea fell into her mind. "I could take him along, you know? You can get to know him too. Perhaps you can upgrade him from masochistic to courteous."

" _Or perhaps to idiotic. Why can't you see his words are just a sham? All he might just want to get inside your pants—"_

Akemi sucked in a deep breath, voiced her displeasure through the ensuing silence. Her sister was only thirteen and yet the _knowledg_ _e_. . . _"_ Shiho _,_ I told you. I'm not a fan of colloquialism nor vulgarity. Don't use that kind of language."

Her sister only hummed and she heard the faint sound of crinkling glass on the other line, frivolous sound of tapped keys before her sister spoke up again. " _No man is at heart_ _extremely_ _chivalrous,_ _O_ _nē_ _chan. You should be more careful. I mean, w_ _hy else would_ _you_ _be at his place_ _?_ _"_

"What?" A ripple of unease crawled up her stomach as Akemi shifted on her seat and pulled her legs closer to her, pushed the soft fabric of her burrowed shirt over her knees as she stole fugitive glances across the room, fastening her eyes on the see-through windows. "What makes you think I would be at his apartment?"

" _Do you mean to say you're not? It's almost_ _nine_ _o'clock and you're whispering_ _as_ _if_ _Gin_ _is_ _behind you,"_ the furious tapping of keys halted and the brunette knew her sister was looking over her work as she hummed. Akemi rolled her eyes and moved away from the couch, padded across the floor as the frantic taps continued. _"_ _And? Is he sleeping next to you?"_

"I'm not having this kind of conversation with you," her cheeks were crimson with tinges of darkening purple. She cradled her phone against her other ear as she unravelled the strings, swept the achromatic curtains across the floor and casted the room in semi-darkness.

" _I see, he's not awake yet. Figures actually. Are you planning to make him breakfast?"_

She knew that hard tone. She could feel the stark cynicism coating off her sister's words as it rippled down her back like freezing chills. "Is that a bad idea?"

It was quiet again and Akemi waited patiently, already anticipating a full on disparage from her little sister along with cold outburst of anger and exasperated expressions remarking why exactly it would have been a bad idea when in fact nothing came. Akemi waited and waited, listened to the rustles of paper, hushed whispers, the faint retorts gritted through clenched teeth and rough clatter of trays with raising concern.

"Shiho? What's going on? Is there someone with you?" there was a loud bang, rough knocks on metal doors and the sound flamboyant curses and hysteric screams that paled Akemi's skin and widened her eyes. " _Shiho_!"

" _I_ _t_ _'_ _s_ _fine, Onēchan. It's just a failed experiment._ _It h_ _appens_ _now and then,_ _"_ she heard the rustles of few more papers until the hushed voices grew louder, calling for her sister. Shiho clicked her tongue, clearly annoyed but made no move to grumble her frustrations as she fixed her attention to the call. _"Anyway about before,_ _t_ _ake him along. I'd like to see him_ _a_ _nd address a few things myself._ _I'll see you then._ _"_

"Don't be too hard on him, please." Akemi muttered even as the line rung dead. She threw her phone inside her bag and moved to freshen up inside the bathroom. She dried her face and brushed through her hair with finger as she pulled her shirt down and straightened the sweatshirt, not entirely convinced that it was fine to roam the streets like this when she slipped into her boots and walked as slow as a sail out of the door. Purse in hand and a message already sent to Moroboshi, she begun her slow pace way into the elevator and eventually left the apartment complex.

* * *

The walk towards the supermarket was arduous at best and the walk back was double as taxing. Bless him and his reserved personality that requires him to live in peace and quiet but he _really_ didn't have to live at the edge of town—so far away from the shops and mainstream markets. She placed the bags at her heels and wiped the sweat glittering on her brow, taking another well deserved break as she fanned her self with her hand and stared at the walk ahead—at how much more she had to walk still— _s_ _o_ _gruellin_ _g._

She sighed and rubbed her hands together, massaged the soreness away before she grabbed the plastic bags again, continuing her snail pace and trying her best to balance her weight away from her ankle as she partially limped; half walked along the road. She tried to ignore the disapproving glances from older women, mean snorts from elderly couples and especially the lewd peeks at her legs and degrading catcalls thrown over her head, and she was tempted, _very_ tempted to flip the bird at them as she strolled passed.

It wasn't as if she _wanted_ to dress like this, more like she had _no choice_ but to shop like this. Even if the sweatshirt barely concealed her thighs that wasn't a legitimate reason for them glare at her like that. She rose her head, pushed her shoulders back and scowled right back, amended her snail pace to that of a turtle as she sped up and eventually breathed out, fully relieved to see the building coming into view.

She pushed the door opened and dived into the elevator, pressed for the twenty-fourth floor and rung the door bell. Moroboshi opened it, the helm of the toothbrush peeked out between his lips, a black shirt was thrown over his under-shirt, sleeves pushed up and buttons unfastened. His eyebrows were knitted together into a mild frown as he stepped back enough for her to enter, catching the plastic bags she shoved at him with fair ease as she walked inside and pulled her heels off, checked on the bandage wrapped around her ankle.

She lifted her head and found a pair of green eyes peering at her. Glittering amber eyes stared right back and Moroboshi's lips twitched into an amused smirk. Embarrassment and annoyance flooded across her face as she huffed and rolled her eyes at him, grabbed the plastic bags off him and moved to push him back into the bathroom and slammed the door shut behind him.

With a final sigh, Akemi swept into the kitchen, prepared a breakfast that consisted of nothing more than a broth of vegetable stewed miso soup and the traditional side-dish of rice. It wasn't much but all she could afford right now.

All she could make to thank him for the night before.

* * *

Silence swarmed over the living room, punctuating the crinkling of the metallic spoon hitting her broth filled bow, leaning back against the couch, Akemi stared expectantly at Moroboshi and his expressionless face as he chewed on the rice. "And? How is it?"

"How do you think it is?" Moroboshi mumbled as he mildly glared at the open pages of the morning paper he picked up earlier. "Food is food. I don't have a preference."

The brunette chewed on her lip thoughtfully as she picked up her cup of tea seated on his small coffee table. "Is that your way of saying, I don't like it but I don't want to hurt your feelings?"

"No," he shook his head, propped a fist against his cheek as his bored eyes skipped over the pages. "It's my way of saying, I can't care to like it."

"Because food is food?"

Moroboshi sipped from his coffee. "Exactly."

"I knew it." Akemi sunk back against the couch and rose her cup to her lips, her eyes crinkling slyly. "You're the type that's hard to please, aren't you?"

Moroboshi hummed, not really sure of an answer as he glanced at her half-eaten dish sitting on the coffee table. Akemi peeked over her cup of tea and followed his gaze, her lips twitched into one of her careless smiles as she answered his unspoken question with a flick of a hand and a baseless shrug.

"I can't really eat when I'm stressed."

He didn't ask why, although he _was_ tempted. Moroboshi cleared his throat and returned his gaze back on the newspaper and turned the page over when something else caught his interest. His glinting green eyes swept over her as he raised the news article toward her. "Didn't this happen close to where you shopped yesterday?"

Akemi sipped from her tea, rose an eyebrow at him and his lingering stare before her eyes lowered eyes on the article, with a gasp she grabbed it and buried her nose deeper into it, reading over the thick printed headline repeatedly before she skimmed over the blurb, her face increasingly loosing colour as her eyes flitted across the header once more.

 _IT Technician found dead._ _Shot on his way home_ _._

"Oddly coincidental, don't you think?" Moroboshi held back a smirk as he rose only an eyebrow and move the paper away from her trembling grasp. It seemed like his assumption was right. Akemi conducted business the night before. Business that involved an IT technician and group of men.

She swallowed thickly, drove a hand over face and then through her hair as she emptied the air from her cheeks. "Crazy. Who would do such a thing?"

"I thought it was obvious who would." Moroboshi gave her pointed look, his brow poignantly arched. "Although, the type of people I have in mind are _rare_ to come by these day."

"Not so rare, it seems." Akemi mumbled, lost in thought until Moroboshi threw the folded newspaper onto the table, effectively pulling her out of her self-induced stupor as she glanced at him quite bewildered before her lips drew into a wearied smile, but from the sharpness of her eyes Moroboshi knew the irony hadn't escaped her. "But we shouldn't worry about these things. In fact there's something else I want you to focus on."

He watched quietly as she cleared her throat and tightened the grip on her cup. "I'm going to see my sister today. And if you don't have anything else planned, it'd be nice if you came along. I want you to meet her."

The edges of her borrowed shirt wrinkled under her clenching and unclenching fingers but Akemi's eyes were firm against the coldness of his gaze and yet he could still see the welling unease and guilt roaming inside the amber of her eyes and the dimmed brightness of her smile. Whispers of doubt gnawed at his ears and stirred warnings inside his head but he silenced them with a single nod. Even if things were suspiciously easy, he still needed to take it with a grain of salt. Regardless, how much Akemi shone like a bundle of brightness.

Like a never-ending source of lightness.

* * *

 **And?**

 **Who else thinks sparks will fly between Shiho and Akai?**

 **Not in the romantic sense of course. . .although, do I have any Shiho/Akai shipper here? I hope you won't be disappointed to won't be finding any** **ShihoxAkai moments but** **Shiho=Akai instead.**

 **Meaning,** friendship **, if not a distant big brother, young sister relationship.**

 **(the = sign was made by me just now to highlight a neutral relationship. Dunno if it got any other meaning, if it does, it's not intended xD)**

 **R &R **

Read and Review not Read and Run :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Late update, today. It seems i still need to get used to having weekly updates.**

 **But still enjoy!**

* * *

Akemi was more than ready. She had reapplied the bandage around her ankle and was fully dressed in her own clothes, fully dried and freed of the grime and slime she caught during her run through that aged park. She had her bag, inside was her phone, the flash drive, her purse and—

"Listen," Moroboshi said with an eye roll and a light smile. "You've all you need. Nothing's left behind. Stop worrying."

Akemi nodded and slung the strap over her shoulder, but not before her fingers wandered through the contend of her stuff one more time. He could only sigh as he pushed off from the wall, grabbed his keys off the table and slid his phone inside his pocket. He didn't spare her a second glance as he opened the front door and pushed the button of the elevator.

Akemi blew air out of her cheeks and tried to calm her nerves with a few empty breaths. She closed the door and slowly moved to stand next to him when the lift noised and the door slid open. He moved in with two quick strides, and rose a brow at Akemi's turtle steps that took longer than five seconds to cross the threshold of the hall and cubicle. He stretched out a hand but she shook her head resolutely, muttering something akin to not being hurt even though he could see the badly hidden winces on her face.

For a moment his eyes lingered on her neck, at the bluish bruises concealed under her scarf before he dropped his hand and slid it inside the folds of his pocket, aware that the subject matter would never cross her lips, even if he prodded.

Akemi finally reached it, held onto the bars, and breathed heavily, as though she ran a mile rather than the normal ten metre walk from his door step towards the elevator. He let himself laugh and pushed the bottom to the car park, ignored the way Akemi was glaring daggers at him when he sent her a smile, knowing wholeheartedly that he needed to up his game if he ever wanted to see progress in this.

Even if he had to play dirty.

* * *

Akemi swatted his hand away for the nth time and sent him a threatening look—a warning to bite it off, if he ever stretched his hand to her again. Honestly, there wasn't a need for her to hang on his arm like a lifeline. There really wasn't. It didn't hurt. The pain was almost gone. She watched his green eyes peer at her. His lips twitched into _that_ smile as he breathed out under his fading laughter, "If you say so."

Her cheeks coloured and Akemi fought off a groan (and the need to slap him) as she focused instead on climbing down the steps without falling on her face, railing under he breath at whoever decided to design so many mini staircases at one condominium. Not only were they impractical but also such a pain (and embarrassment) to her.

She saw the glance he stole at her and the light twitch of his hands that dared to crawl out of his pocket. She rolled her eyes, but couldn't hold back the smile that bloomed on her face, even as she knew that holding onto him wasn't exactly an option any more. No matter how much her heart screamed for it whenever the pain boiled on her foot, depending on him _once_ was one thing, a second time; _reasonable_. A third time? Not a chance in hell.

 _Having to be helped in the first place is embarrassing enough. . ._

She held her breath and celebrated in her head with party poppers and banners of congratulations when he unlocked his Chevrolet, and she wasted no time throwing herself at the passenger seat, feeling for the first time so accomplished that she took a couple of moments to relish in it, knowing that Moroboshi wouldn't even bother raising eyebrows at her anymore as he started the engine and checked the rear mirror. She couldn't blame him. Akemi, herself was convinced that if she ever came across a person quite like herself she'd grow a second head. . . .well, if that's how the saying went—

"No, that's not how the idiom goes."

Akemi blinked.

She turned to look at him. His face was blank, except for the little smile hanging on his lips. She stared and stared until the light bulb switched on over head and her mouth dropped. Wide open. "You heard? How much? Since when?"

"Since we left the lift."

Akemi shut her eyes, buried her face into her hands as she moaned, because that was _everything_. It took a while for her to gain the courage to stare at him again, completely annoyed and exasperated. "Why do you never tell me when I start to speak out loud? It's embarrassing!"

"If it's bothers you that much, why don't you sort it out?"

That earned him a smack on his arm and a rare glare from her. "You such a meanie."

"And you can be such a child."

She rose a brow as though unjustly accused. "Listen, I'm now twenty—"

"—one. You're an adult already, I know." he glanced at her. "We've been through this conversation enough times. Let's stop."

"And whose fault is that anyway—" Akemi said, starting what came into Moroboshi's dictionary as nagging, and he tuned her out, focused on the streets and the changing lights of traffic. Well, that was until she smacked his arm and forced him to listen. "Hey, you don't ignore me!"

He sighed, opted to stay quiet rather than commentating on her agitated behaviour, having to deal with this would be more than bothersome—

"Sorry for being _agitated_."

Moroboshi a rose a brow at her, mildly confused until his eyes landed on her self-satisfied smile. He shook his head. "Seems like it's contagious."

"Stop make me sound like I'm infectious. . ." she huffed and crossed her arms. "How come you're so calm? _You'_ re the one meeting my sister, later."

Moroboshi hummed and watched her rubbing her hand against her temple. "It can't be that bad. I meeting your sister, not your parents."

The light smile on her face faded, and she turned to stare at him with a face so stricken he couldn't recognise the horror from the sheer panic. He nudge her, watched the colour flush back on her face as her eyes fasted on his face. "My sister is _worse_ than any parent you'll ever come across. Maybe I shouldn't have invited you. What was I even thinking?"

She grappled with her bag, pulled out her phone and unlocked the screen. She would have type a quick message to her sister hadn't it been for Moroboshi. He swiped the phone out of her hand threw away. It landed somewhere at the back and Akemi would have glared at him hadn't it been for the confusion swarming inside his eyes.

"What's so bad about meeting a sister?"

"For one thing, you're meeting _my_ sister." Akemi corrected with a fond glimmer glowing inside her eyes that dimmed into faint horror the more she spoke. "She is the smartest, loveliest sister in the entire world but also the. . .deadliest and snarkiest."

"Sounds like an exaggeration."

"It's not. She might look like a cute little angel but her sarcasm and sharp tongue makes you compare her to Hades instead."

He sent her questioning look and Akemi only rolled her eyes, drove her fingers through her hair as she muttered, "I'm not going to compare my sister to the devil."

"That's not what I meant," Moroboshi kept his eyes on the road. "I thought you she graduated this year."

"She did."

"Then why do I have the feeling you're describing a kid to me?"

"Don't let her hear you say that. She's thirteen already."

His eyes popped almost from their sockets, and he whirled his head to look at her. " _Thirteen_?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "Didn't I tell you? She's younger than me."

Moroboshi nodded although his thoughts seemed to be somewhere else. "What's your sister's name again?"

She frowned at the absent-minded nature of his tone and the distracted focus of his eyes but answered regardless. "Shiho. Miyano Shiho. Do you know her?"

"No," his hand tightened on the wheel but Akemi didn't bother commenting on it when his green eyes pierced into hers. "No. I don't."

She sighed, leaned her head against the window whilst the scenery whizzed past, already having idea as to why he was troubled. Her sister _was_ a genius and forced to study the moment she could hold a pen between her fingers. Not to mention that she was more than beautiful with her auburn hair and olive skin. And yet, Shiho's countable blessings fell nothing short of blatant curses in her eyes.

She was _cursedly_ blessed—if that was the word.

But Moroboshi didn't know that.

Akemi turned to face him, sent him a little smile whilst she spoke to keep the hurt giving her away. "Don't worry about that. It was her wish to enter as early as possible. She soaked up the entire curriculum from primary to high-school before she was even _six_. She even told me was bored _,_ " _and a had dream to fulfil some non-existent legacy._ "So I think, her childhood wasn't wasted. For Shiho, life is just beginning."

Moroboshi nodded, noticed that there wasn't even a hint of jealousy tumbling out of her mouth, only eternal sadness.

Akemi sighed, glanced outside the window until they arrived at her apartment complex, and she slipped out of his car, left with nothing more than a reminder of the place and time along with a short wave and frighteningly glistering eyes, but even as she left Akai sat there, wondering what exactly to do next.

The scientist they were after was a kid.

A thirteen year old kid.

* * *

The key inside the lock moved too smoothly, almost without a hitch hadn't it been for the treacherous sound of her locks falling and her door creaking open.

Akemi sighed and slipped her shoes off, skimmed and scanned the unscathed hallway and the open peeks inside her rooms, hoped with every sight of an unharmed wall and intact glassware that it was only a lucky case of forgetfulness, rather than having to entertained an unwanted guest who was nothing short of an explosive fuse. But her steps into the living room proved her otherwise.

There he was.

Sitting on her good nurtured couch and drinking a cup of Barely tea—not only unfit for the season but also accessed without her permission—was her supposed _guardian._ Wrecker of her life.

"Now, that's not very kind of you." Pisco placed the cup on the table. "I have cleared my schedule today, just to see you. Is that how you should be treating your precious guest?"

"Worthless freeloader, you mean," she muttered and sat down at the far end of the couch even as he was patting the space next to him. She ignored it and tend to her handbag instead, pulled out the tiny technical device that costed her more than a couple of bruises. She held it up and threw it in the space between them.

Pisco didn't so much as look at it. Instead, he raised the cup to his lips and drunk quietly. "The exchange was scheduled yesterday, was it not?"

Her answer was as lofty as his, even as she rose a brow for full emphasis. "I had previous engagements, were you not aware?"

"Seemingly not," the burn of his glare prickled her skin but the brunette held firm and fastened on him with a glare, even as the shade of his skin darkened to a sickening red.

He slammed the cup on the table. The sudden noise startled her enough to flinch. "Let's leave our pleasantries here, shall we?"

He leaned back and flung his arm over the couch as his lips formed a rotten smile that only served to fool others into thinking that he was nothing but an amicable man with uttermost interest for the other's well being. But Akemi wasn't fooled by his expression. She could see. His hands were fisted. "I expected you last night. You had me waiting for an exact hour. Have you forgotten that I am an expected chairman? I, too, have engagements to uphold—"

"Spare your words. You reap what you sow." She clenched the strap of her bag and leaned forward as her eyes were narrowed. The words dripped of her tongue as though it was laced in poison. "You decided to arrange that unwanted surprise party for me. Don't feel upset that I decided to stand you up."

"Oh?" his lips drew back into an unpleasant smirk. "Wasn't it to your liking?"

"What was there to like about?" Akemi's temper flared. "You sent a bunch of thugs to assault me. I could have been rap—no, _murdered_."

"Well, wouldn't that have been the point?" his reply was nonchalant enough to be taken at face value, and yet the glint in his eyes told her otherwise.

"Crazy old man," she spat at him, fuming with barely concealed anger. It was her life they were discussing, not the weather. "Attempted murderer—"

He held up his hand. "This conversation is over."

"It's _not_. If you haven't forgotten—"

He shook his head. "Over."

"You cannot decided that!" Akemi stood up. Her bag crashed against the floor. But she did not care. "It takes two to converse!"

His hand rose again, and his dark onyx eyes landed on her reproachingly. "Lower your voice. Or do you want to inform the entire neighbourhood that I'm paying you a visit?"

"Visit?" Akemi narrowed her eyes at him. "This is breaking and entering. I could report you to the police."

Her threats fell on deaf ears. He only motioned her to sit down. But she saw the twitches of his eyebrows that itch to frown, yet his voice remained fairly pleasant. "What kept you engage last night?"

"None of your business," she spat and dug her heel into the ground. His calm expression melt away under his increasing annoyance.

"Where were you?"

Akemi remained silent.

"You took the day off from work, came all the way to Chiba and disappeared." Pisco leaned forward, knitted his hands in front of his nose. "You didn't meet me, neither did you return home. What else am I supposed to suspect other than your hormones taking over at one of those men?"

Akemi's mouth dropped. Her hands trembled.

"No need to be shy. Next time you like my present, admit it." He played with his moustache as his smirk widened. "Although, next time do drop me a line—"

She slammed her hands against the table, face flushed red as she shouted, "Nothing of that sort! I stayed over at a friend's home in Chiba!"

"So you _do_ answer me."

Akemi bristled. Pisco smirked and leaned back. "Let's try again. What kept you engage last night?"

"Like I said—"

"Do not lie to me." His eyes sharpened as he snarled. "Despite what I recently conjured, I'm aware that you wouldn't spread your legs for a man. Neither would you take them under your wing. I have trained you better."

"Like I would wag a tail to any of your demands," Akemi crossed her arms as she snarled right back. "I'm not a damned dog for heaven's sake!"

"Not a dog. You're more like a chicken awaiting trial." Pisco chuckled and shook his head. "Come on dear, tell me, what exactly kept you engage?"

"I met a friend on the street," she started as she kept her eyes firm on the twitched of his trembling fists. "We shopped till late and I ended up staying—"

 _Thud!_

He kicked the table. She watched the cup shattered at her feet and the pool of tea seeping into her carpet.

 _H_ _ere we go. . ._

She bit the inside of her cheek and steeled her nerves. Whether it was a slap on her cheek, a tug of her hair, or the traditional choke-hold, she wouldn't bruise any more than she did already, nor would the pain be any less. She braced herself, yet didn't quite expect a barrage of pictures to be thrown at her. Even as they lay on the ground, she could recognise herself in those.

Herself and her recent date.

She rose her eyes to glare at him. "You're aware surveillance is a breach of privacy."

"And _you_ are aware of the manner we're conducting business, yes?" his eyes darkened as he stood up. " _You_ are also aware that lying is futile." Pisco strode over to her. "Were you thinking of keeping this _gentleman_ from me?"

"And why exactly should I confide in you?" Akemi crossed her arms and glared, even as the elder towered over her. "My love life is also a private matter that you shouldn't pry your nose into."

"As long as it interferes with my work, I will."

"You fool, those two matters don't even correlate." Akemi shook her head. "Stop using excuses. Don't think I haven't realise that you're poking your nose into my business only to oppress me."

"You're the fool," He scoffed. "Are you even aware that you're being played with?"

"I'm not," Akemi bent to pick up her handbag. "And this conversation is over."

He held his hand up. "Do you know why you're the fool?"

She rolled her eyes but decided to entertain him as she turned around and rose an eyebrow.

"Because you're not even aware whom you're dating."

"Of course, I'd know!I may not be as smart as Shiho but I can still—what's that?" she narrowed her eyes at a picture he suddenly shoved into her face. She vaguely recognised the man with a broken nose. He seemed to be lying one a grassy floor, howling in pain. She frowned and glanced Pisco and his darkening smirk.

"Are the gears turning inside your head yet?"

She gave him a blank look. Pisco rolled his eyes as he muttered something akin to the wonder of genius parents giving birth to dumb. Akemi rolled her eyes and muttered about rude, old men ignoring the laws and growing harsher with age.

"Two of the men I have hired were hospitalised." Pisco started as he slowly neared her. "Word is, they're suffering from several fractures."

Akemi hoisted her bag to her chest, glanced back at the picture he was clenching inside his fist, before she rose her eyes to meet his. "And you're telling me because. . .?"

Pisco rolled his eyes and fixed a pair of exasperated eyes at her. "I was told your lover has ruined them, of course." Before she could even begin to snort, he held up a hand and shushed her. "Now, I do agree that there must be some misconceptions. The possibility that two grown men could be incapacitated with bare hands is close to non-existent. However, should this be possible then—"

Her handbag dropped for the second time. Her eyes fastened on him almost unbelievably. She saw the serious glint in his eyes, the harsh wrinkles marring his face and the seemingly calm expression on his face that continued to prickle her skin, but she willed it away and let the laughter bubble from her stomach.

"You're not serious, are you?" she smiled even as her chest tightened. But her altered approach was enough to induce a frown from him. "Whoever has told you must be suffering of delusions," she shook her head and placed a hand on her hip. "Who else but I could have beaten them? I was alone, remember? _Helpless_. You should give me more credit—"

He shook his head and pointed a finger at her. "Child, I have know you since you were little. Your capabilities and weakness are known to me. Admit it, your lover has done it. You should know by now the futility of covering up the truth."

She rolled her eyes.

"I would like to meet such a brutal man." Pisco continued, walking around the puddle of tea towards the window. "They are hard to come by these days."

Akemi shook her head, quietly counted to ten as she rubbed a hand against the throbbing temple, aware that the old man was only pushing her buttons to squeeze more information from her regarding this ridiculous subject matter.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Your men are lunatics—embarrassed cows that can't even stand a woman beating them. What losers—"

It stung.

Akemi pushed the hair out of her face and glared twice as heated as she ignored the burn of her cheek and clenched her teeth. " _Losers_ ," she repeated, daring him to slap her again. "Can't even take the words of a—"

"Tart," he ended and curled his fingers over her throat and _squeezed._ "Only tarts let a man's company spoil their attitude and ruined their common sense." Pisco pushed her back and she dropped back on the couch, coughing as she held her throat.

"Make no mistake, child. Against us, he's only a tiny fly that can be squished at any given moment. He _cannot_ guarantee your safety. Or has this _freedom_ deceived you into thinking that you are freed from the organisation's clutches?" he chuckled and kneeled down, place a hand on her lap as the look in his eyes softened. "True, you may not be as smart as our little Shiho, but your incisive mind still sets you apart from most. You should know to cooperate with me. Akemi, tell me, who is he?"

"I thought the answer was obvious," she started and neared his face, stared into his eyes as she breathed out, "Why, my lover."

It burned. Her cheek felt like lightened in flames and she could feel the tears welling in her eyes. She closed her eyes until the mist inside them cleared, internally glad that it hadn't affected the strength of her voice. "Why can't you leave him alone? I've told you he has nothing to do with this. I'll take full responsibility so—"

"Responsibility?" he barked a laugh and dropped his hand. His eyes crinkling on her. "Do you even have the authorisation to be responsible? The necessary payment to keep the press down? The anonymity to pay their hospital fees?"

His lips drew back into a taunt line as his blazing eye scorched into hers. "But no matter, I will get my hands on him. With or without your help. Mark my words."

Akemi could only glare at him when he strode towards the doors with his sickening bravado that hailed him as a chairman of some corrupted company. She gritted her teeth and grabbed the nearest cushion to throw at him—except it didn't hit him but the door frame instead.

Pisco barked a laugh, and she gritted her teeth. That hideous sound echoed even after he left. Akemi shut her eyes and slid down to the floor as she pressed her hands against her face, silently contemplating how the elder's mind could have massively jumped from A to C.

Akemi snorted. What a senile old man. He should have realised by now that not everybody was as a cold blooded as them, and definitely not Moroboshi.

As if he'd ever harm anybody like that.

She sighed and glanced at her sullied carpet—at the shards strewn across the floor and thought of the blood that might flow on the streets.

Blood that might belong to a certain someone with particular green eyes. Someone that was only moments ago branded by Pisco as a scapegoat of sorts.

Akemi bit her cheek, thought of ways to pull him out of this mess when only silence ran through her mind. Inexplicable silence that only empathised the tightening of her chest and the sickening realisation that she shouldn't have called him—shouldn't have had coffee him with him—should have never agreed to meet him.

Akemi pressed a hand against her eyes, felt tiny drops of water sliding past the slits between her fingers and trickled down her cheek as she continued to ponder.

But what exactly could she do?

She dropped her head against the couch and thought.

Nothing came to mind.

* * *

 **Please Read and Review, not Read and Run.**

 **P.s. Who else thinks Pisco is an understandable oppressor. . .ahem. . .** prick **?**

 **Here's a small teaser of chapter eight :** In which Akai seems suspicious. . .


	8. Chapter 8

**Does our Shūi here feel compassion or romance? This chapter figured it out for me.**

 **Question is, will it for you?**

 _ **Chapter Eight.**_

* * *

Jodie Starling glanced around her makeshift apartment for the third time. It was still blatantly bare for her taste. She had lined the walls with pastel colours and hung landscape paintings around the living room that never failed to pull her her heart's string, and yet it still didn't feel as homey as the living space she had left in America.

Jodie sighed and placed her cup down, grabbed a handful cookies to drown her temporary sorrows when her doorbell chimed. She glanced down the hallway before her eyes wandered towards the clock hanging above her TV.

Who would be visiting her so early in the morning?

Jodie stood up and tightened the rope of her dressing gown as walked towards the door and peeped from the spy hole. She gasped and sprang back, ran towards the nearest mirror and brushed the crumbles away from her mouth, drove her fingers through her hair and checked her appearance time and time again until she was completely convinced her bed hair disappeared, and even without the minimal amount of make-up, she looked fine, completely fine until she glanced down.

Her attire.

Jodie frowned. It was too late to dress up. He could have honestly informed her than ambushing her with a surprise visit. She sighed and moved toward the door again. At least she had prepared some snack and still had rented some of those thriller movies he liked to watch. The doorbell rung for the second time and she opened it, not exactly prepared for the onslaught of emotion that surged through her at the sight of him.

Shūichi stood before her, his hands hidden inside his pockets, and his favourite black beanie perched on top of his head, just like she always remembered. He hadn't changed at all during the three months they've spent apart. She stepped aside, enough for him to enter and watched his lingering green eyes took in the bright colours of her walls before his eyes met the painted picture of Mt. Fuji and his lips drew down. "You still have that thing?"

That thing? Jodie's eyebrow twitched. It was an authentic painting. True, cheap on the market sale but one of those relic objects that were hardly auctioned and Jodie had barely gotten her hands on. It had value, she knew it had. There wasn't a single need for him to undermine it. She glanced at him through narrowed eyes, completely unimpressed at his lack of appreciation of art. But what exactly could she have expected of such an asocial airhead?

Jodie sighed and wandered back into the living room. After that remark at her collection, she would have refused to serve him anything, hadn't her table been already covered with her favourite snacks and a hot pot of coffee. She flopped down on her couch and crossed her legs on top of the other, paid no particular heed at the soft flesh of her legs revealed between the fabric of her gown, yet mildly surprised that Shūichi did neither. She was accustomed to have his eyes glued at her exposed skin as though he perceived the small show of skin a threat, or as he described, womanhood bearing his fangs at him. She let loose a small laugh and she rose her cup to her lips, "So, what drove you here so early?"

Jodie watched him crack a smile- one that bore slight amusement and yet carried the weight of his intellectual reasoning that showed his painstaking, accurate perception of details. Jodie rolled her eyes. "Alright let me correct," she placed her cup one the table and levelled him a serious pair of eyes. "What's with this visit at noon?"

His face hardened as though her question rose an invisible ice wall between them, yet that must have been her imagination since Shūichi leaned forward, his knee brushed hers and Jodie willed herself not to think about that when his green eyes stared at her calculating as ever. She held her breath and waited, even as her heart hammered against her chest at the mere insinuation that he might have missed her like she had missed him. She moved closer, little by little, yet whether it was to give him an ear to bear his secrets, or brush her lips against his wasn't exactly known to her but the pain wringing in her chest felt as true as the first morning rays as she watched him lean back and stare furtively at her ceiling.

Could this count as a rejection?

Jodie swallowed and momentarily glanced away as she squashed the thought from her mind. Shūichi wouldn't have come to simply end it with her, particularly not here where she had a countable amount of objects to throw at him. Mount Fuji, included.

There must be another reason for this visit.

Jodie picked up a gingerbread-man from the plate, chewed thoughtfully on his head as her gaze lingered at Shūichi deflated shoulders and wandering eyes that finally came to rest on her. "I heard you're accepted your application as a trainee teacher."

She nodded and brushed the crumbs away from her mouth. "They didn't really have a choice considering the kind of connections we're having," she stopped and narrowed her pair of sceptical eyes on him, "Did you come here to congratulate me?"

Shūichi didn't answer, stared at the floor instead, completely in thought as he didn't even notice the gentle hand Jodie had placed on his shoulder. Seconds ticked past and Shūichi rose his eyes to meet hers yet again. The disparity between the determined glint inside his eyes and the conflicted nature of his expression was as clear as day and yet as paradoxical as light within darkness, still Jodie recognised the graveness clinging on to his voice as he leaned forward yet again, twice as serious as he first appeared with green eyes piercing through her.

"You're the only colleague I can confide in, Jodie."

She pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ears, tried her best to stay calm even as her eyebrow itched to twitch at the term. From the atmosphere she had already suspected his troubles to be work-related—work that definitely involved bringing an entire organisation down through the use of a pretty brunette. She shook her head lightly and readjusted her focus. Personal feelings shouldn't be involved during their line of work. Jodie swallowed the welling pain, reminded herself that it was only temporary.

Only until he accomplished his objective.

"So what is it?" she was glad the uncertainty brewing inside her chest didn't slip into her voice but his sombre eyes only intensified along with the tension swirling between them. She swallowed and watched his calculating stare as though he was unsure to proceed or leave matters be. Jodie rolled her eyes and cut through thickening atmosphere with her deadpanned look. She pinched her nose. "Don't tell me you're freaked out only because she hugged you?"

She watched the surprise flicker inside the shade of his eyes but it disappeared as soon as it came and she came to stare at a blank canvas of a face. "Just how lame, do you think I am?"

"Enough to know that you'll freeze the moment someone touches your hand." Jodie grabbed another cookie, fully ignoring the look that crossed his eyes at her retort, yet internally glad that they ebbed away from the previous deadlock even as she wondered when his deadpanned looks and nonchalant shrugs changed into half-offended retorts.

She sipped her coffee, aware that the conflicted look in his eyes hadn't disappeared despite the softening of his facial features. For a moment Jodie juggled the idea of changing the subject when Shūichi's eyes suddenly pierced through her.

"I was thinking that I should have listened to you. You were right; there are other ways to move into the organisation."

His words were strangely strangled she would have wondered whether he had trouble breathing hadn't she known that he was only forcing those words off his lowered her cup, took in his frown and conflicted eyes and sunken shoulders. Her brows shot up. It was the first time she had seen Shūichi second guessing a mission he had taken.

The Shūichi, she knew, had with nerves of iron and would never contemplate the validity of his actions as long as he would achieve his goal. He would never get cold feet for swindling a woman with a fake identity to crush her livelihood that was the organisation.

Jodie knew that any rotten organisation has equally drab members, hierarchies didn't matter, foulness was contagious and would spread throughout. Shūichi should know that sympathy wouldn't get them nor the mission anywhere and if it was pity driving him even better. It can be crushed easily.

"Jodie," Shūichi's voice stopped her thoughts and she raised her eyes to look at his calm expression and piercing eyes."I'm abandoning this mission."

She fastened her eyes on him as she waited for him to excuse this badly concocted joke with nothing but a twist of his lips, but Shūichi only stared back at her, expressionlessly. She placed a hand on his knee and gently shook her head, about to reassure him that it was only the talk of his sleep deprived mind that was getting the better of him when his voice clearly overruled hers, completely ridden with spite. "Whoever designed this mission has a couple of screws loose."

Shūichi wholeheartedly knew that it was their superiors who have organised this mission. This was a direct insult. Jodie stared at him unbelievably. What had gotten into him? Her eyes narrowed when a long haired brunette flashed through her mind. She quickly shook her head and banned the thought from entering her mind. Shūichi wasn't one to be influenced and neither was he—

"Jodie," Shūichi started and broke her line of thought for the second time. "The member we're targeting is a thirteen year old kid."

Her brows shot up before it evened out into her own expression of indifference, just like she was trained. Personal feelings shouldn't—cannot—be involved in their line of duty, even if the situation called for it. Shūichi knew it too, and if he somehow had forgotten it then she had to remind him. It was her duty as his trusted colleague.

"Her age doesn't change the fact that she's a member and an acknowledged scientist. She's smart enough to realise what she's doing, Shū."

The words tasted like acid on her tongue and spat them out, one by one, for no other reason than to show that this was what they had to do—shut their eyes and welcome all unpleasant experiences, that would usually be shoved under the carpet, with a friendly smile. This was their job. Their reason to cross the oceans and arrive here—at the other side of the world and bring an entire syndicate behind bars.

"You should realise by now that girl is as twisted as the rest of them." She continued and swallowed even as her heart clenched. Shūichi's eyes grew distant with each passing second and the invisible ice wall rose between them in unconquerable lengths.

"The age of criminal responsibility is fourteen in Japan." His voice as quiet as always yet so ear-splitting loud that his unspoken words reverberated inside her head.

She is innocent.

"Shū," the revelation that only now fell into her lap clung onto her heart and left her breathless as it outward appearance had blinded her from the truth that she still didn't want to lay her eyes on. But he had changed.

Even if it was the tiniest bit.

"The organisation is a bloodsucking leech." Shūichi continued with a face as blank as a piece of paper. "The amount of people it preys on is truly remarkable."

Even within its own structures. . .

"I thought she was your visa—something like an access card." Jodie rubbed her hand against a temple and she shook her head, not even the sight of her favourite chocolate cookie could dispel the worry gnawing inside her chest, nor could the landscape of mountains ease migraine throbbing at the side of her head. She raised her head to look at him, her eyes full of frustrations. "You need her, don't you? How else do you plan to sneak inside the syndicate?"

"The baits I've laid are dangling right before they eyes, they only have to reach for them." His voice was as quiet as a whispered secret and she found herself leaning forwards until she saw something flashing inside his eyes. It was fleeting, barely there for a second but long enough for her to catch the quick glimpse of uncertainty glowing under the shades of yellow seeping into the green colours of his eyes, and she wished she never had.

Jodie pressed a hand against her eyes and blew the air out of her cheeks, slowly nodding at his direction, even as she could feel her floorboard toppling underneath her feet and the lump of her heart sinking down on the floor. There wasn't a single use stopping him.

Not when he had his mind set.

* * *

Akemi brushed the sweat away from her brows. The dishes crinkled under the water under he fingers and the constant scrub of her sponge as she glanced at soaked skin of tangerines still lying on her counter before her eyes landed on the doubled decked bento box, beside prickled cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and a tangerine lay heart-shaped egg rolls, neatly placed steamed rice and freshly baked meatballs—all of which she fought to cook for over two hours.

She blamed the old geezer and her troubled mind.

Akemi sighed and dried her hands on her aprons, pushed the bubbling thoughts away from her mind and concentrated on wiping her counter. Pisco was more than delusional. The probability that Moroboshi went out of his way to break a couple of bones was down right ludicrous. He wasn't the type to look for fights. She knew that.

She knew whom she was dating.

Akemi pressed a hand against her eyes, took deep breaths to calm her nerves. His strange fixation to Moroboshi would surely pass.

Right?

It didn't seem so.

Akemi whined under her breath and stole a helpless look at her phone. It lit up, vibrated full of rigour. She forced herself to grab it.

It wasn't them, but her boss and his call only meant on thing—

She shut her eyes and braced herself as her plans came crashing down, and she spared a curse or two at her colleagues' brash decisions to suddenly hand in a sick leave.

She threw the phone on the counter and drove a hand through her hair.

Just how much could go wrong in a single day?

* * *

 **Y** **es, Jodie and Akai haven't broken up yet.**

 **Yes, our Shūichi is a complete airhead when it comes to romance.**

 **Yes, he does have zero clues about how his 'work' affect** **s little** **Jodie.**

But do let me know what you think. I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions!I welcome anything. If there are things you don't like, tell me. If you have suggestions, tell me too. And if you have questions, you can tell me as well. It's all welcomed.

 **Well then, I'll see you next week.**

 **Teaser for chapter nine** : in which Shiho promises to show her best side. . .


	9. Chapter 9

**First I should apologise** **for the long wait.** **Next, you should know that** **I change** **d** **the plan (again)** **to fit Shiho's character** **from 'A Time of Reflection'.**

 **It's a one shot** **I have written recently, featuring mainly Shiho's childhood.** **You don't necessarily have to read it but it will provide deeper insight** **into Shiho's character as well as the** **nature of their** **sisterhood. If you're interested, you should read it now.**

 **If you're not, do enjoy this chapter at least :)**

* * *

A brown lock fell in front of Akemi's vision, clouded her view on the scribbled words written across gaudy paper. She pulled it behind her ear and buried her nose deeper between the pages of her book, a collection of memoirs regarding archaeological discoveries in Egypt shoved at the back of the humanities section so deep Akemi would have never found hadn't she frequented this particular section of the library since fourth grade. She had read most books, could guess the title of hard covers from a single glance and knew the paperbacks rowing each line. But that might have been because she had temporally worked here during her high-school days—when she was forced to provide her own roof over her head.

Akemi shook her head, threw those thoughts out of her mind as she grabbed her cup of coffee and chugged the entire contend down her throat, thinned the acidic taste of her memories with its bitter after-taste. She threw the cup inside the bin, clasped the book shut and shoved it back to its place, her mood too ruined to be fascinated by printed papers.

She headed back to the science section, climbed up the stairs and strode past the bookshelves, glancing around for an auburn little head and a pair of green eyes, both of which were nowhere to be seen. It was typical for Shiho to be late. The organisation kept their eyes on her little sister like hawks staring at their prey, scrutinising her movements and noting everywhere she headed like particles under a microscope.

The brunette sighed and stole another glance at her watch. Only twenty minutes left until her shift started. She was lucky enough that the library was close to her workplace, she could make it in ten minutes if she catches the bus, but her luck will be wasted if both of them wouldn't be showing up within the next five minutes. Akemi chewed on her lips. She had yet to give the home-made lunch to Shiho. It was the only warm meal that would ever cross Shiho's lips since the organisation usually fed her during work canned coffees and rice crackers.

Akemi frowned and tightened the grip on her bag as she peeked behind the last bookshelf and almost automatically her eyes widened, a voiceless gap trembled past her lips and her heart stilled before it slammed against her chest full of force, kicking her senses back alive and for the first time in her life Akemi felt like such a fool as she hid behind the hard wood, cheeks aflame. She pressed a hand against her hot cheeks, shut her eyes and hoped that he hadn't seen her recoiling back like whiplash at the sight of him. But the quiet sound of his laughter told her otherwise.

 _ _Damn. . .__

She blew the air out of her cheeks, patted them once, twice and calmed her racing heart, took in deep breaths and tucked her loose strands behind her ear and cleared her throat, before she trod gradually towards him, little by little.

Despite his earlier reaction at her awkward entrance he didn't seem to notice her, engrossed as he was. Akemi glanced at the book held between his slender fingers, full of wide-spaced words and labelled illustration of a black hole and colourful planets. She didn't even have to crook her head at the sign hanging from the ceiling to recognise that particular subject. Her eyes darkened and a familiar irritation wedged inside her heart. She gazed away and bit the inside of her cheek,willed that loathsome feeling away for the second time today.

Akemi fastened her hand around a random cover, pulled it out and flipped it open, fighting her desire to rip it apart as her eyes skimmed over the sentences, full of gushes about the wonders of gravity, complete nonsense in her opinion. Her fingers clenched the cover and dented the open pages until the book was swiped from her hands and inspected under green eyes.

"Physic? I thought you hated science."

"I do." Akemi answered, quite surprised that he noticed her little anger outbreak and felt embarrassed right after. She glanced away, mentally admonishing herself for slipping up so easily. Moroboshi only hummed sceptically, flipping through the pages before he placed it back and she couldn't help frowning at the collection of garbage rowed on her beloved bookshelves—garbage that her sister adored. Akemi shook her head and glanced at him, continuing as she brushed a strand behind her ear, "Shiho loves it, though. Sometimes it's even all she talks about…."

The brunette raised a finger, trailed each book one by one until it landed on drab colour that matched her sinking mood. Electromagnetic theory. Her eyes narrowed at the title scrawled across its spine. It couldn't have been worse. She shoved it back and glanced around, halting her gaze on him, his thin eyebrows arched and his eyes wide enough to see the round shape of his pupils, the green shade of his lenses and the complementing yellow of his iris.

"You force yourself to read these?" his voice was calm, measured, and yet she still heard the incredulity lurking behind it, shaming her for pursuing such unfruitful efforts. But she couldn't bring herself to mind it, remembering her little sister completely out of breath with glittering eyes that shone brighter with each passing piece of enlightening knowledge that fell across her lips was worth the pain and frustration, even if most of it whizzed straight past Akemi's head. It was only the passion her sister had.

The passion Shiho was willing to share with her.

Akemi raised her head, stared deeply into the lurking yellow swarming inside his eyes as she answered,"As long as it brings me closer to my sister, I'll do just about anything." Her voice didn't as much as tremble even as her knees shook.

She knew it was only her love for the only family member she had, but whether he felt compelled to write this off as an unhealthy obsession or a simple sister complex might draw the end of their shared moments of intimacy, translucent state between familiarised strangers and budding lovers. Akemi suppressed the urge to squeeze her eyes and rack her hands all over hair at the rising stupidity descending on her and held still when his stare hardened, rigid and so freezing cold, a shudder curl down her spine and yet his voice teetered on the rough edges of scepticism and uncertainty.

"But if you were to read these books only to please your sister, won't you eventually come to hate her as well?"

The stare of his eyes waslike static, bursting against her skin and tingled her flesh. She rubbed her arms andglanced away, thinking even though the answer already sat inside her mind like podium built inside any empty room. An answer that will peel away her layers and reveal her hidden sides. Sides, she didn't want him to see. Akemi swallowed and stared at her boots, avoided the prickling conversation with her eyes until his hand latched on to hers, gently and yet firm enough to remind her that there wasn't an escape, nor was she trapped inside a cage. It was merely hypothetical.

Akemi reared her head and returned his stare, chewed the inside of her cheeks as she tried to act as thoughtfully as possible, "I don't think the association theory applies. I mean, if I were to hate it that much, I wouldn't be able to bring myself to read it in the first place. But the thing is, I can. Maybe, it's more of a dislike than abhorrent hatred."

He hummed almost non-committally hadn't it been for the sharp gaze of his eyes that sent avalanches goosebumps rippling down her lower back and tightened her chest. She looked away, took in the musty scent of books and the faint odour of paper and ink, distracted her senses away from the man behind and picked up another book, idly browsing through the pages as she secretly stole a glance at him.

His gaze was oddly thoughtful, the yellow blurs of his iris faded into a deafening white, yet strangely alluring, almost beautiful and as if carried by the wind,she reached out, touched his sun-kissed skin, brighter than the paleness of her hand and yet cold enough to rival the climate of Antarctica. Gently, she steered his face towards her, melting the frost under her fingertips and ice inside his eyes until his gaze softened and the twinkling colour of curiosity peeked inside his iris. She lowered her hand and her eyes glazed with glee at his puzzled expression as though she stumbled upon a delicious secret.

Slow and graceful, she smiled and turned on her heels,browsing through the books with tinges of crimson covering her cheeks and her brightened eyes. He frowned, glanced the books and thought the last seconds over without success. It was nonsensical as the tiny confusion misting over his eyes, yet the teasing glint inside her eyes told him otherwise.

She laughed quietly at his puzzled expression, her vocal chords slightly over-toning the avalanches of hushes chucked at her direction but even her hands held against her mouth, the laughter and tears glinting in her eyes couldn't be subdued; and he didn't know why.

For the first time in a long while, Shūichi felt completely lost.

* * *

Shiho's knuckles whitened with the force her fingers clenched the bookshelves. She had arrived three minutes before, swept past the bookshelves for a book about the physiological state of the body when she turned around the corner to see that particular sight. She could barely believe her eyes. And she blinked once, twice but the sight still hadn't changed.

Her sister was laughing.

 _Laughing_.

And it wasn't the usual friendly laugh of pure bliss and joy her sister liked to fake in front of her friends, but actual laughter with tears squeezing out of her eyes. It has been a while since Shiho heard her sister's quiet laughter of mirth.

Almost instinctively her eyes landed on her companion, noticing first the length of his hair—dark in colour but certainly rivalling Gin's—and his unusual tan as though he came straight down from Okinawa or the other side of the globe with indefinitely amount of sunshine.

Her eyes narrowed at him.

The dislike was swelling inside her chest already.

* * *

 **Who else realised why Akemi laugh** **ed** **? **o/** **o****

 **Gosh, Shūichi is** **such and airhead!** **Who else felt pity for him?**

 **And who else can tell what's going to happen now? XD**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello, hello!**

 **A reference for the OOC-Police that might come to arrest me; Shiho is thirteen years old, fresh from university. She only recently started meeting with Akemi again. Their previous experiences were never resolved and sort of brushed under the cover. So yes, Shiho is still convinced that she isn't hurt (despite that she is) and Akemi still tries her best to act like everything is okay (but of course, it's not.)**

 **But I hope you enjoy anyway.**

 **I left an author's note at the end. Be sure to read it!**

* * *

Despite reaching the tender age of thirteen six month ago, Shiho knew her calculative streak and rational mind were beyond the functional level of most adults—her sister, particularly. Since young, Akemi was known to have her head strayed in the clouds, completely starry-eyed, absorbing the worldly sensations through rose-tinted spectacles. The proof of it played out directly in front of her. His mere presence reduced her well-meaning sister into a blundering fool—a complete blushing _mess_.

Shiho's delicate features drew into a frown and her hands balled into fists as she marched forward, summoning every ounce of intimidation lingering inside her bones as she squared her shoulders, straightening her back as the frost pooled inside her eyes.

She rounded the corner. The words were formed inside her mind, lay thick on her tongue the moment her sister snapped her pretty face to look at her, first relieved—her lips stretched into a beautiful, beaming smile at the sight of her, before the corner of her lips sank, and slight hint of dread whitened her complexion once she recognised the cold expression set Shiho's face.

Almost immediately Akemi's eyes fastened on her date. He was still casually flipping through a book as if interested—Shiho had to snort at the mere thought—seemingly not noticing the drastic change of the atmosphere as the temperature fell from several degrees, but Shiho _knew_ he pretended not to notice. She narrowed her eyes and her mouth snapped opened when he suddenly glanced at her, his eyes locked with hers, and she froze at the mere sight.

His gaze was merely curious, and yet the yellow swirls of his iris deepened the greenish hues into a sickening black— _hauntingly_ black, and she was a breath away (always a breath away) from remembering clinking tubes and callous laughter, a ghost of a touch lingering on her fingertips—

"Shiho?"

The memories blurred away from her eyes, and amber eyes fastened on her, glittering with concern, brushing the auburn locks away, and Shiho swatted her hand from her hair, trained her eyes on the ground as she restyled it, mumbling that she was fine, willing the chills away that crawled on her shoulder as she kept a good distance away from the man.

His pearls of eyes simmered like a replica of haunting _green eyes_. A complete set that mirrored _his_ with the same amount of intensity, same _brightness_ , as though they were cut from the same stone. Her fingers bit in her palms and she itched to snatch her sister's hand and drag them out of here, wanted nothing more than ban her from seeing him—

A hand clasped her shoulder, warm and comforting, and she glanced up to see the small smile curling up her sister's lips as her eyes softened. "Shiho, I'm glad you could make it."

A curtain of brown hair shielded her face as her sister turned her head, and Shiho caught an odd whiff of cinnamon under the sweet scent of vanilla and she wrinkled her nose, rather used to the usual scent of floral clouding her sister. She sneaked a peek at him. His hideous pair of eyes were slowly shifting between her sister and herself, and her delicate features drew into a scowl before she knew it.

"This is the one I was telling you about; Moroboshi Dai—"

 _Die?_

Shiho's head shot up, her blue eyes fastened on her sister, frosted and completely hard, and Akemi shivered as though she was momentarily caught up in blizzard. She reared her head, attempted her best to melt the sudden frost with the warmth of her radiant lip-glossed smile.

Shiho only locked her jaw in response. His eyes were fixed on her yet again, and she bit the inside of her cheek and glowered back. She hated to admit it—she _didn't_ want to admit it—but his sharp eyes threw chill over her shoulders, his hardened gaze and stoic expression froze every tiny bone on her vertebrate.

He reeked of _danger_.

She absentmindedly noticed the shift in her peripheral vision. Akemi rose from her position and now stood on eye level with him, seemingly done with the introduction that she had barely registered. His sharp gaze surprisingly—and yet _suspiciously_ —softened into a puzzled expression that didn't fool her in the least. Even if it caused the smile on her sister's face to vanish, her eyes widening in muted concern.

Now, Shiho always considered herself veteran enough to recognise the murder inside his eyes, and yet she was _surprised_ to see the rare amusement glinting inside his greenish hues, especially the awry twitch of his lips. "For sisters, you look extremely different."

His voice was ( _suspiciously_ ) smooth, light, and for the first time in a long while, Shiho wondered whether she miscalculated the situation _entirely_ —whether the unspeakable, hideous colour of his eyes had caught her mind in a whirlpool, spinning her good conscience past the signs of truth, and trapped her thoughts inside the beneath the surface of her subconscious.

She bit her lips and scrutinised every minuscule shift on his features. He looked _genuine_ enough, and yet the dark hues inside his eyes told her otherwise. They were shadowed with a calculated glint, completely artificial. _Unnatural_.

She had seen the same look inside her own eyes once, and more than often enough reflected inside the eyes of _Vermouth_ and Gin's, always.

She _knew_ it—she could tell, (and she could _always_ tell)—he was bad. _Bad_ in every essence of the word. Even if her sister didn't know—even if she cared _not_ to know.

Shiho risked a glance at her sister's face—and like she feared—the worry has melted away from her face.

Like the sun rising from the horizon, she broke out into a breath-taking smile. Shiho rolled her eyes. The scowl couldn't have permeated her features more deeply. Of course, Akemi would be jovial and _carefree_. She had never been anything but, Shiho wondered why the revelation struck her when she had experienced it first-hand a couple of times during the recent years. So, without another thought, she swept past them and grabbed a book from the shelves, and ignored them, completely done with the matter.

If her sister wanted to play with fire, then fire she got. It wasn't _her_ business to mind—even if her darling sister ends up burning more than her little pinkie. There wasn't anything else to combust, after all. Akemi's heart was already in shreds, completely in tatters, torn apart and destroyed by Shiho's very presence. Her burnished embers could barely glow in the dark, so if her sister needed the candle light from another, fellow human being, who was Shiho to stop it?

Her sister could burn.

And burn brighter.

Her hands tightened on the book before she knew it. She relaxed her grip and noticed a familiar burn on the back of her head. Shiho firmly ignored his stare and her sister's hushed whispers. Gearing up her defences, she skimmed and scanned the printed words in front of her determinedly, fighting off the chills and flashes of murder inside his eyes, that she so clearly remembered.

A force fell on her shoulder and Shiho involuntarily shuddered as she whirled around. Akemi visibly recoiled at her little sister's reaction and dropped her hand. It was only then Shiho realised that she hadn't been grabbed but only _touched_ by her sister. She spied a glance at the man—at the swindler, deceiver, _green eyed trickster_. He was holding a book inside his hand and _pretending_ he could understand the complexity unfolding between the pages. She narrowed her eyes and squinted, half-heartedly expecting an open-paged cartoon hidden between the pages.

Her irritation peaked when she recognised the three swirls surrounding a picture of an atom with the solar system lingering in the background. There was a small printed caption on the top of the page. _The puzzles of the universe._ She rolled her eyes. _So what?_

"Shiho," her sister's voice was calling her, ever so patiently, and she wondered how _much_ _more_ Akemi's thick thread of patience could bear before it snapped.

Shiho rose her eyes and met her kind stare squarely, warm amber met frosty blue and Akemi's brows drew down, worriedly, and her face softened with concern. The auburn haired narrowed her eyes, sceptically.

"Yes?" cold, calculated and hard like she was taught, Shiho rose her chin and raised a brow. "Is there something you would like to tell me?"

"I should be asking _you_ that," Akemi pinned her gaze on her. "I thought, you were going to show your best side?"

"Of course, I am." Shiho replied and brushed a strand behind her ear. "This _is_ my best side."

"We both now that's not true. You could at least _try_ to get along with him."

"And what would be the point? We both know that this isn't going to last. You never had a boyfriend for _more_ than six months anyway. And as far as I can remember, you never cared—" the words died on her tongue and she swallowed once, twice, and tried to pursue her line of argument but the shadow of guilt clenching the inside her stomach stopped her.

Akemi's face contorted, almost as if she had been slapped, and Shiho blinked slowly, uncomprehendingly as her brows slowly furrowed. She had said nothing but an observed, factual and half-hearted reply. She had always been brutally honest. Her words were meant to cut through her, sharp and hollow—not devastatingly aggressive. It should have not been emotionally charged.

Shiho gave her sister a sceptical glance, observing and evaluating the damage her little blunder had caused until her sister returned her stare. Her amber eyes still ( _somehow_ ) carried the little warmth and patience even if they glittered with hurt. "That might be true, but can't you at leasttry? For me? _Please?_ "

The scepticism of her glare didn't reduce but since her sister asked so _kindly_ , Shiho figured she might as well show the entirety of her _best side._ It wasn't like Akemi honestly _liked_ the guy. Dating and relationships were always like a game to her—something that kept her occupied in her measly life. She had always longed for normalcy—and yet, strangely, it was something Akemi could never completely adhere toward. Shiho doubted her sister would even bat an eyelash if they ever did end up in ruins. So, she shrugged and glanced back at the pages. Even with her apathy, Shiho still managed to catch a glimpse of the breath-taking smile blossoming on her sister's face.

Forget the laughter Shiho heard when she first arrived. _This_ was the brightest she had seen her sister smile in years.

Scowling, Shiho shut the book and glanced at the fraud—(at her newest target)—as she counted down the minutes it would take to chase him away.

 _For good._

* * *

 **Ah, I really liked Shiho in this. Despite being thirteen, she is not a brat nor overly mature. I hope you noticed that there is a barely there** _ **yet**_ **present innocence and childishness in her thinking which I'm intending to exploit to the fullest.**

 **On a more serious note, I'm sure you've heard by now about the new outlook regarding Akemi's and Akai relationship.**

 **I don't want to spoil those, who have not heard about it yet, but this recent revelation weirded me out to the point I drew a blank. I took a break from this and only recently returned** **after** **deciding to make some changes regarding this aspect to make it easier on me.**

 **I decided that Akemi and Shiho are only half-sisters. They only share the same father. This makes Akemi a child from a previous marriage. But Shiho does not know this yet. I will drop some hints and developing this concept from this point onward. I hope you're not minding this.**


	11. Chapter 11

**I have decided that whenever Shūichi slips out of his persona and perceives everything that's happening through his own eyes, the point of view will be written in his given name. Whenever else, he'll try to act and think like** _ **Moroboshi Dai—**_ **the identity they FBI has given him rather than being himself.**

 **For those who found this confusing, I'll try to make it clear through an example. As far as we know, Shūichi Akai is the eldest child among his sibling, however, as** _ **Moroboshi Dai**_ **he's a lonely child.**

 **In other words, he's playing the role of a scripted character—and in this chapter, he shows the first signs of going off track.**

 **Let's see how long he can keep it up before he starts losing himself.**

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As far as Akai Shūichi could remember he had always been perceptive. He always had a knack for details and specifics. His observations skills were more advanced compared to the average population. He could decipher a person's momentary internal state of emotions through little tell-tales and behavioural characteristics that would have been to most unnoticeable.

As far as he remembered it had started with Shūkichi sneaking out from the kitchen with cookie crumbs sitting at the corners of his mouth when he had thought no-one was watching, and the wrinkled shirt worn by his father when he slept on the couch with the smudges of coffee dried on table, scattered research papers and files, rolled-up sleeves, a running television in an empty room and the lingering smell of cigarette smoke at the balcony.

And yet _none_ of his honed skills were even needed to figure Shiho's dislike toward his presence hovering around the cheerful bubble Akemi crafted in front of watchful eyes. She held her bottom lip between her teeth, silently watching her sister burrowing her face inside the book before she reared her head to look at him, apologetically.

She must have noticed, and Shūichi was quite surprised that she did. Shiho's dislike was barely noticeable, barely visible between the thin shift of her clenched jaw and narrowed eyes. It seemed that Akemi was quite perceptive herself.

Shūichi cleared his throat and muttered that it can happened, as he slowly eased back into his persona. He had been slipping out of it too much recently. He needed to be more mindful about the consistency of his character. Almost reluctantly, he reached out to grab her hand and squeezed it, a gesture of comfort that she had countless times used on him.

Akemi glanced at him, quite surprised with rosy cheeks, and smiled. Shūichi smiled back as he gazed at the pleading amber eyes, evoking understanding for his sister, and he nodded, rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand.

He turned his attention back toward Shiho, her head was burrowed inside the book, and yet her frosted eyes were fastened on him, almost threateningly, and for a moment Shūichi couldn't help but envision his own sister, her flamboyance and love for life. There were only two years between the Shiho and Masumi of them, and yet their philosophy of life was completely different.

Shūichi closed his eyes briefly and willed those thoughts away, His emotions and personal family experience and thoughts were influencing his sense judgment and professionalism. He had to lock it behind bars. He took a deep breath the same time warm fingers brushed against his forehead.

Shūichi turned to find Akemi smiling at him, encouragingly, before she turned on her heels and squatted down, on eye level with her sister and quietly whispered into her ear, and despite having a light inkling on the topic of the conversation, Shūichi couldn't help but realise that with each soft-spoken word from Akemi, her sister's mood gradually worsened and yet she nodded stiffly at her sister, still glaring daggers at him from the corner of his eyes.

Shūichi ignored it and focused on the bookshelf in front of him, his eyes roaming to find an interesting book that might serve use in one of the cases assigned to him, yet from the corner of his eyes he saw Akemi pulling out a well-packed bento box from her bag before she instructed Shiho turn around and placed it inside her sister's rucksack, as she mumbled, "Try to have regular meals at least."

"Sure, sure." Shiho muttered, adjusting her backpack, rolling her eyes as she did so. Akemi only pursed her lips and held back a sigh when she climbed onto her feet and adjusted the strap of her bag around her shoulder.

"I would love to stay but I need to go. My shift is starting soon." Akemi reared her head to look at Shūichi, her amber eyes dimmed with guilt. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I don't mind, but your sister might have something to say about this." Shūichi murmured, his eyes wandering back to Shiho, whose eyes narrowed as she snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Oh no, I don't. I'm sure, we'll get along just _fine_ here." she flashed a smile at her sister but Shūichi saw the sinister glint glowing in her eyes. Akemi glanced between the two of them, her gaze lingering on his face longer than necessary, possibly concerned at his expression, his face as blank as piece of paper. He wasn't entirely sure what to expect from Shiho once Akemi turned their backs on them and strutted out of the door. Seemingly, Akemi seemed to be thinking the same as she pursed her lips, her brows knitted in thought before she stepped closer to him, her fingers reaching out, intertwining with his own.

"Don't take her to heart. She's…shy sometimes," there was a lingering uncertainty on her face as she struggled to find a fitting adjective to describe the behaviour of her dear sister. Shūichi only nodded, his lips quirking amusedly.

"Would you like me to take her home once she grabs a couple of books?"

"I would be grateful, if you could." Akemi wrung her lips between her teeth as reared her head, glancing back at Shiho. "I hope she doesn't, but _if_ she refuses, tell her I made you promise. She can't complain about that."

Shūichi stuffed his hands inside his pockets and gave her nod, his brows slightly furrowed as he wondered how impactful a promise with Akemi was to placate Shiho's distasteful behaviour toward him enough to cooperate, such a compromise was only possible if her feelings for her elder sister were far greater than she presented through her behaviour which meant—

 _She loves you._

He glanced at Akemi and the worry gnawing inside her eyes before his gaze lingered at Shiho's frosted eyes staring holes inside the pages she held in front of her. Shūichi recognised a twisted family dynamic when he saw it, and yet he found himself in the middle of something he couldn't correctly identify, and he wondered where did this awkwardness came from? This hesitance between each of their spoken words? The unease between their glances?

Shūichi frowned, his eyes following Shiho's frame disappearing toward a table at the faraway corner. He heard a sigh next to him, and Akemi shrugged with a default smile on her lips. Shūichi could tell she was annoyed at the lack of goodbye as she squeezed his hand and muttered another apology at her sister's rudeness.

He didn't particularly mind, but as a passive observer, he knew that none of the sisters knew about their respective feelings for each other, and a part of him didn't understand how they couldn't when it was so obvious—

Shūichi stilled at the soft touch on his cheek, warm lips pressed onto his skin and with surprised wide green eyes, he stared at the grin spreading on her face, cheeks flushed and her eyes teasing.

Confused, he could only nod, and she squeezed his arm again, whispering that she'll make it up somehow before she slowly turned around and headed toward the doors, halting when a thought occurred to her, and a little hesitant she glanced at him. "Moroboshi?"

"Yeah?"

"Stay safe."

He nodded, albeit slowly, still surprised, but she smiled regardless, sweet as always and Shūichi quenched his urge to squint his eyes at the source of sudden brightness. He turned around, faintly listening to her fading steps when his gaze locked with the annoyed glare of her little sister.

Shūichi sighed and grabbed a random book of the shelf as he joined her, already having an inkling that this might be the start of a _very_ long day. . .


End file.
